A Graphic on my Proposal for Manukau

 

I have completed the draft presentation and master booklet for my Auckland Plan Committee presentation next week and am getting it cleaned up before sending it through to Council. The work on Manukau will form part of my larger and wider submission to the Unitary Plan I am writing up as I put forward many alternatives to its current draft version.

To give you a graphic look at what I am proposing, here is an infographic on my alternative to Manukau along with some details and three recommendations to Council. Once the main presentation has been cleared up I will post it here at BR:AKL for your viewing.

 

My Alternative for Manukau – Infographic

The Definitions

Using the Draft Unitary Plan GIS system with the zones activated you can see how I had highlighted changes to the existing area to support Manukau as a Second CBD.

Effectively what was originally the Metropolitan Centre zone has been converted to the “Core City Centre Zone.  “This would be where the “unlimited height” regime takes place and the tallest towers allowed being located in the wider Manukau City Centre Zone. Of course airport flight path rules apply but, otherwise pretty much go for it (while adhering to good urban design protocol rules).

Beyond the core area to the north and south is the Main Manukau City Centre Zone. This allows for city centre type mixed commercial and residential development (plus public space) to occur but at the 20 Storey Height Limit to allow a phase down back to the surrounding existing residential areas.

The entire Manukau City Centre Zone area would come under Centralised Master Community Plan rules in the Land Allocation/Development/Utilisation per my submission to the Auckland Plan.

On the north and south fringes of the Manukau City Centre Zone(s) is the Manukau SLPD Fringe Development Zone. Again for the Fringe Zone:

The Fringe Development Zone for the areas surrounding the Manukau CMCP zone would be modified to allow mixed use development (so commercial and industrial as well as residential rather than exclusively residential).  The FDZ’s would be classed under a Semi Liberal Development Plan and be treated as such (see section of SLPD on page 25) unless further intervention was required. Like the Tamaki FDZ’s, the Manukau FDZ would allow a seamless transition from the renewed high density core of Manukau City Centre to the existing areas around the core (often low density). The FZD in Manukau again like Tamaki would have a sub community plan at the respective local board level – even though the FDZ is deemed a SLPD area. However the idea of the sub community plan would be a more of a Memorandum of Understanding so that both the community through the Local Board(s) and developers understand each other before any development goes ahead. This MoU (which would be required in all SLPD’s) would allow developers and local communities to interact on future development, this localised interaction would be seen as more efficient, thrifty, simple and responsive to the needs of the affected community rather than interacting with a cumbersome centralised regulatory body as of current.

You will have noticed I have placed down some medium industrial zoning to the west of State Highway 20 along Puhinui Road. This allows two things:

1. Relocation of any existing “industry” or business inside the proposed Manukau City Centre Zone to a nearby area as Manukau goes under Gentrification
2. Expansion of Wiri industrial base and employment centre to cater for more jobs as Manukau and Southern Auckland continue to grow. The area is easily serviced by road and the future Airport Rail Line.

Currently the area rezoned for medium industry is market gardens and paddocks.

Note: Medium industry is per the definition in my Auckland Plan Submission:

• Medium Industry Zone: Medium sized warehouses, factories and high-tech industries. These types of industries would be associated with places like Fletchers Tasman Insulation plant in Penrose, the Sleepyhead Factory in Otahuhu, Bluebird Food Processing in Wiri, logistic centres like Mainfreight and Daily Freight in Westfield and Penrose and the Lion Nathan Brewery Factory in East Tamaki

So some reasonable sized industrial complexes theoretically could go on that new land.

 

The Recommendations

 

Three recommendations to Auckland Council in regards to Auckland and the Unitary Plan:

1. Recognise Auckland as a Megaopolis

2. Recognise the Auckland Megaopolis as three distinct but adjacent metropolitan areas

3. Allow Manukau to become the Second CBD of Auckland and have Auckland function with two cores – not one (Metropolitan Centres are not Cores – they are treated as glorified Large Town Centres)!

 

More to come as I finalise and clean up the Manukau Presentation

 

 

BEN ROSS : AUCKLAND