In Hamilton, home is now definitely where the heart is❤️
The inner city of Hamilton where builders and developers will now be incentivised to achieve a Lifemark® rating on residential developments.
Hamilton City Council is the first Council in Aotearoa/New Zealand to actively support including a Lifemark® rating on future inner-city developments. This means builders are now incentivised to create homes that are accessible and intentionally built to meet a person’s changing needs over their lifetime. The incentive will be a reduced development contribution fee.
The Thames Coromandel District Council and Hauraki Council have both incentivised a Lifemark® rating through increased site coverage. Christchurch Council required a Lifemark® rating in the One Central development as part of the regeneration and rebuild project, but Hamilton City Council is the first to have the foresight to apply this support to CBD builds ongoing.
CCS Disability Action Chief Executive David Matthews says he is delighted with this initiative and encourages other councils to be equally as bold with their planning frameworks so that they can provide homes that support all people.
“Putting in a measurable, robust mechanism such as the Lifemark® certification system is an excellent way to achieve this,” he said.
Hamilton City Councillor Sarah Thomson explained “We’ve heard from our community that we have a real need for more accessible housing in Hamilton, and this need is only increasing. Our Housing Strategy recognises housing as a human right and sets out a vision where all Hamiltonians are well housed, which this decision helps to deliver.
“The city centre is an ideal place to encourage the building of Lifemark® 4-star homes – it’s well connected to shops, employment, public transport and quality green space.”
The strategy aligns with the United Nations Human Right to Adequate Housing and Waikato Housing Initiative’s strategy which is taking a regional approach to housing.
A significant action in the strategy is collaboration with Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to deliver more social and affordable housing in the city.
Geoff Penrose, General Manager of Lifemark® says this is a huge step forward in ensuring future Hamilton homes are fit for purpose for all people.
“Accessible homes are simply better for everyone. Our unique star rating system ensures consistent standards can be put in place across the board so that everyone gets a better build that caters to all needs and all age groups.”
“I would like to congratulate Hamilton City Council for their far sightedness in endorsing and implementing this strategy,” says Geoff. “Future residents will benefit from a strategy that has the wellbeing and quality of life of the city’s people at its heart.”
Lifemark® look forward to seeing this progress and working with builders and developers in Hamilton to ensure inner city homes will have Universal Design and people at the heart of home design.
