Biggest topic of the Unitary Plan to soon start
While it did not form the largest portion of my own Unitary Plan submission (the Centres Zones did that) the Residential Zones topic attracted the most amount of submissions.
Over the next week submitters will be in workshops working through the Residential Zones in a cordial and hopefully cooperative fashion before formal mediation, and the Hearings themselves begin later on in the year.
I will be attending today’s all day workshop with the possibility in attending others if I can not achieve what I wanted to set out in today’s session.
Layout of the Workshops and what is up for discussion:
The aim of the issues based workshops is to facilitate discussions between submitters on key issues arising from submissions. The Panel notes that the issues and questions posed for the facilitated workshops are intended to prompt discussion and are not to be treated as an end point. Parties who wish to attend the workshops should do so with a view to narrowing and/or to resolving the issues. At the conclusion of the facilitated workshops, submitters, including Auckland Council, will agree on principles to narrow and/or to move forward with the issues. The principles agreed should contribute to the amendments to the residential zones provisions and Council’s track changes which will form the basis for the second round of mediation.
Workshop Schedule
First Round – Monday, 22 – Friday, 26 June 2015 – Key Issues
| Dates | Time | Key issues | Key questions |
| Monday, 22 June 2015 | 9:00am – 3:30pm
(1 day) |
Introduction to residential strategy | Will the PAUP suite of residential zones and their general application be effective in meeting the RPS objectives with respect to enabling quality urban growth. Consider in particular:
The Panel expects that outputs from the expert conferencing on capacity modelling will inform this discussion. What is the appropriate pattern and extent of intensification? (e.g. around transport hubs and centres and corridors) What is an appropriate transition from high density to low density zones? Are the objectives of the residential zones sufficiently distinct? Is it appropriate for the zones to give effect to / be complementary to the overlays e.g. special character and the Single House zone? Is zoning an appropriate tool to manage the effects of flooding and the effects of industrial areas on residential areas? |
| Tuesday, 23 June 2015
(AM Session) |
9:00am – 12:00pm
(1/2 day) |
Methods for managing development in the residential zones | Would quantitative rules or qualitative policies/criteria (or a mix of both) more efficiently and effectively achieve the quality urban form and growth objectives of the RPS?
What is the appropriate threshold to trigger a design assessment for new development? |
| Tuesday, 23 June 2015
(PM Session) |
1:00pm – 5:00pm
(1/2 day) |
Development control infringements and notification
|
What is an appropriate activity status for development control infringements?
Is it appropriate to require discretionary activity resource consent for a development that infringes three or more development controls? What are the appropriate notification requirements for residential activities? |
| Wednesday, 24 June 2015
(AM Session) |
9:00am – 1:00pm
(1/2 day) |
Density | What are the most appropriate methods to manage building form?
How does density relate to development controls? If density controls are retained, what are the appropriate densities and minimum site size controls across the residential zones? |
| Thursday, 25 June 2015
(AM Session) |
9:00am – 12:00pm
(1/2 day) |
Building height and height in relation to boundary in the Mixed Housing Suburban and Urban zones | Do the building heights provide for an appropriate form of development in the Mixed Housing zones?
Is the height in relation to boundary and alternative height in relation to boundary control an efficient and effective method to manage dominance and shading effects on neighbouring properties? |
| Thursday, 25 June 2015
(PM Session)
|
1:00pm – 3:30pm
(1/2 day) |
Conversion of dwellings / minor household units | Are there circumstances where it may be appropriate to allow minor household units? |
| Friday, 26 June 2015
(AM Session) |
9:00am – 12:00pm
(1/2 day) |
Building height and setbacks in the THAB zones | Do the building heights provide for an appropriate form of development in the THAB zone?
Are the setback controls an efficient and effective method to manage dominance and shading effects on neighbouring properties and provide a transition to lower density zones? |
| Friday, 26 June 2015
(PM Session ) |
1:00pm – 3:30pm
(1/2 day) |
On-site amenity | To what extent should the design of buildings be controlled by the PAUP?
Is the outlook control an efficient and effective method to achieve privacy, outlook and daylight for dwellings within the site and on neighbouring properties? To what extent should the PAUP regulate the design of buildings within a site to achieve an attractive streetscape? (e.g. windows facing the street, low fences) Is the building length control an efficient and effective method to ensure new development integrates with the character of the zone set out in the objectives? |
……..
The workshops are not open to the public. Submitters on the residential zones should have received the notice of the workshops recently.
Seeming the Residential Zones pretty much affect everyone not living in a Centre Zone in urban Auckland it would be an important topic to watch when it hits the Hearings in October.
My submission with the Residential Zones called for the proposal zones to be binned and a new hierarchy established that is more reflective to the different housing classes and densities without needing a tonne of overlays or precincts as current. There is also rezoning involved but that is dealt with next year.
Should be an interesting day today.
Talking Southern Auckland 