A Quiet Affair Last Night at the Community Meeting

 

Last night at the Vodafone Events Centre (former Telstraclear Events Centre) a community meeting was held on the Unitary Plan and Manurewa. The topics on hand were intensification and transport – both affecting Manurewa significantly. I was Some what disappointed in last night’s turn out to the Manurewa Unitary Plan meeting at the Vodafone Events Centre (although I do understand a historical event took place in Parliament last night with the passing (77-44) of the Marriage Amendment Bill). Around 30 people there (had capacity for 150) and of that 30, 8 of us were under 30 (including those from the Youth Council). However, Penny Pirrit did her presentation and the questions got under way before people looked at the maps (more on this in a moment). The meeting was civil and quite interesting in the way it went.

 

I believe most people in the room acknowledge we are up for both intensification and some sprawl. What they including myself (I asked some questions) was the following:

• urban design quality
• trust on the Council not blind-siding us
• Transport
• It is going to happen – how we best accommodate this for our children and youth

 

The discussions last night implied Manurewa but were actually regional points. Despite the smallness it was a meeting that had to be the best meeting so far that I have attended. Questions and concerns from both sides of the coin and some probing questions at that to in regards to the Unitary Plan. I suppose people were curious in what was coming up and how best to deal with it (infrastructure for example) – for if we have to do this, we have to get it right.

I noted the Manurewa Youth Council present last night. Their Chair did raise a point to Penny on challenging Council to be more proactive in getting our youth involved. This is especially after the Youth Council held a Unitary Plan event for Manurewa youth and some 150 of them turned up and contributed. I did raise this to the Deputy Mayor on Facebook this morning: Penny Hulse (Angela and Simeon I am going to tag you in this so you can see), I heard last night from the Manurewa Youth Council on how successful their event was on Saturday that attracted 150 youths and got great contributions from the on the Unitary Plan. I also heard the Youth Council challenge the Main Council to be more proactive in engaging our youth. Maybe Council along with the normal Community Meetings need to hold in Parallel dedicated Youth Community Meetings and forums for those under 30. It might just work in getting our youth along if the Manurewa example was anything to follow by.

It is an idea worth considering as our youth for the most part if they don’t ask questions from the floor, should at least listen to the presentation on the Unitary Plan followed by going to the maps with a planner and checking it out. I have done so a few times now and even gone over maps with other residents bouncing ideas off on how to improve what was on the map (usually a zone or overlay) better for that area.

 

Back to last night’s meeting as I did ask three questions in regards to the Unitary Plan:

1. Why are representatives from Auckland Transport and Watercare not present. At the minimum they could take notes or even better actively contribute to the debate with residents and businesses on the perennial questions on transport and water. The Integrated Transport Plan is in operation and ties in with the Unitary Plan. Auckland Transport need to be with Penny Pirrit as the Unitary Plan is explained and explain the linking in between the UP and ITP! Urban Planning and Transport Planning go hand in hand, they should NOT BE confined to silo thinking.
2. (This was a multi-prong question): Is their flexibility to lower or raise height limits of the local or town centres, can we upgrade or downgrade places such as moving Milford from Town Centre to Local Centre, and can we upscale Manukau to a fully fledged City Centre Zone in parallel to the CBD (I will get to this particular question as it revealed an insight)
3. Socio-economic. Are they being taken into account when the zones and centres are laid down so that we either get a world-class city or the equivalent of Thatcher Brutalist buildings and neighbourhood that plague Britain.

 

Those questions got answered:

1. Seems we will be getting Auckland Transport representatives along to future meetings. So if you are at a Unitary Plan community meeting with Penny Pirrit and Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse present and see no one for Auckland Transport present, then hammer them on why AT is not showing up when they should be!
2. Yes the heights can be altered subject to Governing Body deliberations in the centres. Council is asking for your feedback so make specific points on which way you want the heights to go and why. More to the point also explain where the residents will have to go if you have lowered the height limits in a particular centre. As for Manukau this is going to turn into a Battle Royale between some like myself and Council. The Planners and bureaucrats are not willing to consider the possibility of upgrading Manukau to a fully fledged City Centre Zone. But rather insult the place and confine it to a Metropolitan Zone shared with other places like Botany, Newmarket, New Lynn and Albany. The logic comes from the mono-centric core model where Auckland has one CBD and one downtown rather than a duo or even poly centric cores model Auckland can adapt to and seen overseas. While the planners and bureaucrats think like that, some Councillors are more inclined to treat Manukau as a City Centre Zone rather than a Metropolitan Zone. I asked my local councillor Calum Penrose if he would support Manukau going into a fully fledged City Centre Zone and he said “why and what does Manukau have.” So I said Manukau has this to support it being a fully fledged City Centre Zone:
   1. 15 minutes from the airport
   2. 5 minutes from heavy industry
   3. 5 mins from major logistic centres including Mainfreight and Wiri Inland Port
   4. State Highways One and Twenty, the Great South Road, the rail line and Manukau Station (although we need that Manukau South Link rather soon)
   5. Existing High Density development in the Manukau City Centre
   6. Education Hubs
   7. Can cut down on cross city commuting by keeping a critical employment centre closer to home
   8. Catchment of nearly 50% of the Auckland population living south of Portage Road, Otahuhu and it is only going to increase

      Councillor Penrose was inclined to agree on those grounds why Manukau can easily be the second CBD of Auckland and the main CBD of Southern Auckland

3. Socio-Economics are being catered for in the Southern Initiative – although personally I don’t have much faith in that

 

With Manukau I have made my points specifically clear in my “MANUKAU AS THE SECOND CBD OF AUCKLAND” post and as I said this might turn in a Battle Royale situation with Council. I am considering options on how to proceed with this Manukau situation with the Governing Body. But for now I will make my views known in my submission to The Unitary Plan – one way or the other.

 

Tonight is the meeting on transport – specifically the Weymouth-Karaka Bridge that many don’t want down in Weymouth. I will be there and I will be taking my copy of the Auckland Transport Integrated Transport Plan along so residents can see what is up with transport over the next 30-years. For the most of it, that brick will break your heart the amount of procrastination there is in that document.

 

So I’ll see those that I see at Weymouth tonight

And a Happy Birthday to Penny Hulse as well.