Council development charge hikes ‘may be illegal’

Workers prepare infrastructure for roading and eventual housing at the old Unitec site on Carrington Rd. (Image: Alex Burton)

Maria Slade

Thu, 20 Mar 2025

Auckland Council is proposing overcharging property developers by as much as 60%, a report commissioned for an advocacy group says.The report by the economic agency Urban Economics found that the hike in fees will disproportionately affect affordable housing and may lead to a shift towards building more expensive homes because developers can earn a better margin from them.Auckland Council is currently consulting on plans to increase development contributions (DCs) and the fees it charges developers to pay for new infrastructure such as roads, p...

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