Urban development capacity reporting

The National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity (NPS-UDC) was introduced by the Ministry for the Environment in 2016, requiring local authorities to assess and monitor housing and business demand and capacity across the District. In 2020 it was replaced with the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD).

This work ensures Council and community have a good understanding of housing and business trends and demands. Kāpiti, along with the other urban territorial authorities in the Wellington region, has been identified as a medium growth district. This means that we need to provide specific reports to inform our community.

Housing and Business Assessment (HBA)

Under both the NPS-UDC and NPS-UD, an HBA must be carried out every three years, to help councils provide sufficient development capacity to meet residential and business needs across the next 30 years. The HBA estimates the type and location of future demand for housing and business and compares this against the current development capacity available across the next 3-, 10- and 30-year periods.

This is the first HBA prepared for the Wellington urban area and has been jointly prepared by Wellington City Council, Porirua City Council, Kāpiti Coast District Council, Upper Hutt City Council and Hutt City Council.

The Wellington Regional HBA includes a Regional Summary Chapter and separate Chapters for each Council area. Appendices provide further details on methodologies, reports and modelling undertaken or commissioned as part of the HBA.

Housing and Business Development Capacity Assessment:

For Kāpiti, the findings from the HBA will help inform the review of the Development Management Strategy, which provides a framework for sustainable development and growth for the District and was last updated in 2007.

Quarterly Monitoring

The NPS-UDC requires Councils to undertake quarterly monitoring of market indicators and development activity. Regular monitoring helps Councils better understand factors affecting the demand and delivery of residential and business development and also helps inform planning processes, including infrastructure investment.

Quarterly monitoring report archive:

June 2021
March 2021
December 2020
September 2020 – includes quarterly and annual update
June 2020
March 2020
December 2019
September 2019 – includes quarterly and annual update
June 2019
March 2019
December 2018
September 2018 – includes quarterly and annual update
June 2018
March 2018
December 2017
September 2017 this was the first quarterly report that implements Policy PB6 of the NPS UDC

More information on the NPS UDC is available from the Ministry for the Environment.

Research

Understanding medium density development in Kāpiti. This piece of research was undertaken following the completion of the Housing and Business Assessment (HBA) in 2019. A finding of the HBA was that lower risks and strong preferences for standalone housing meant that opportunities for medium density development were being ‘trumped’ by standalone housing. The purpose of the research was to better understand the factors influencing medium density development across the Kapiti Coast District. Understanding these factors is important as medium density development is seen as playing an increasingly important role in meeting the future growth needs of the district.

The findings of the report will help inform a number of pieces of work that will shape how medium density development is provided and managed in the future. This includes the review of the District Growth Strategy, and the Urban Development Plan Change that will update the District Plan to meet requirements to enable intensification under the National Policy Statement on Urban Development. The work will also help inform Council’s evolving Housing Work Programme to develop relationships and partnerships with iwi, developers and community housing providers to provide solutions to help address the district’s growing housing needs.