Archaic carpark rules are stopping people building new homes in New Zealand.
The problem is particularly prominent in Wellington, with the council requiring at least one carpark for each residential house.
However, the hills in the capital mean that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to create.
One Wellington couple learned this the hard way when they attempted to add another house to the back of their property.
“We finally got the quote in for the carparks and it's for nearly $200,000.
“That’s for a house, for which the off-site construction fee is $200,000,” Lucy Stewart told 1 NEWS.
Council rules mean there must be a park available on their land.
But the couple don't want one and there are two bus stops less than 20-metres away.
“These requirements are really regressive, they're looking back at the past when everything was about cars,” would-be home builder Kate Pearce says.
Similar rules apply to Christchurch and Auckland outside the central city - meaning many plans will be on hold unless a change is made.
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