What changed in Auckland Plan Change 120 in July 2026?

The approved package keeps government-required intensification and adds some housing opportunity in well-connected locations. It removes additional housing proposed around smaller local centres and along most frequent bus routes more than 10 kilometres from the city centre.

Auckland Council says the wider residential area would revert to current Auckland Unitary Plan rules, leaving about 85 per cent of Auckland’s urban area unchanged. The revised proposal is estimated to provide theoretical capacity for about 1.5 to 1.7 million homes, compared with about 1.2 million under the current plan.

This was approval to publicly notify amendments—not the final PC120 decision. Housing capacity is a modelling measure, not a promise that a site can or will be developed to its theoretical maximum.

Council says the proposal continues its stronger approach to flooding and other natural hazards. The practical effect of any PC120 provision still depends on its legal status, the specific property, other planning controls and the proposal being assessed.

A four-week public submission period is expected from late August 2026. Existing submissions remain on foot unless withdrawn, and people can also respond to the proposed amendments. An independent hearings panel will then hear submissions and make recommendations, with final council decisions expected in mid-2027.

If a purchase price or development concept depends on PC120, ask an Auckland planner to state which operative and proposed provisions they have relied on—and what would change if the July package is amended again.