Method to the madness

This particular theme has come across both the Centres Zones and at the moment with the workshops the Residential Zones. That is the respective zones in the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan are too crude of an instrument to reflect the different geographies of urban Auckland.

That is the base zones as set up in the Unitary Plan treat Auckland as a homogeneous geography. Well Centres wise Manukau Metropolitan Centre is very different to Papakura or New Lynn Metropolitan Centre yet all three are placed under the same Metropolitan Centre Zone. Southern Auckland under Mixed Housing Urban Zones are different in their geography to the Isthmus sitting under Mixed Housing Urban Zones. But yet the objectives, polices and controls through the base zones for both the Isthmus and Southern Auckland Mixed Housing Zones are exactly the same.

To get around this we have what is called Overlays that then sit over the top of the base zone of a given area. There is an Overlay for just about everything you can think of planning wise that might be applied over a base zone. The problem? The more Overlays the more complex the Unitary Plan becomes and the more costly it becomes to both develop property or implement the Unitary Plan itself. Another consequence is the ordinary citizen then gets lost and there goes your participation rates – through the floor.

Solution?

Split the zone hierarchies up and in doing so absorb some over the current overlays into the new base zones objectives, polices and controls.

Meaning?

Rather than look for the base zone and what that zone means in the Unitary Plan text followed by looking up whatever overlays there are scattered through the rest of the Plan, the splitting and absorbing would mean you only need to look in one place – usually (okay two because you will be checking the maps initially as well).

More zones and less overlays is less complex than less zones and more overlays. More zones especially with the Centres might seem complex but the reverse is actually true. Because again more zones means less overlays and less complexity. It also means the new zones with the absorbed overlays (some overlays that is) are more reflected to the specific geographic “concerns” of that given area.

Residential Zone Splitting

Currently there are four residential zones in urban Auckland. They are:

• Terraced Housing and Apartment Zone
• Mixed Housing Urban Zone
• Mixed Housing Suburban Zone
• Single House Zone

I have proposed the following:

New Zone Residential Classes to replace the D.1.4 Single House Zone to D.1.7 Terrace Housing and Apartment Zone of the Unitary Plan

Relief Sort	Existing Unitary Plan Objectives and Policy to be used for the new zones
D.1.4 Single House Zone Residential Standard Low Density Zone	D.1.4 Single House Zone – Objective and Policies
D.1.5 Mixed Housing Suburban Zone and D.1.6 Mixed Housing Urban Zone Residential Intensive Low Density Zone	D1.5 Mixed Housing Suburban Zone – Objective and Policies, AND D.1.6 Mixed Housing Urban Zone – Objective and Polices
D.1.5 Mixed Housing Suburban Zone, D.1.6 Mixed Housing Urban Zone and D1.9 Terrace Housing and Apartment Zone Residential Classic Medium Density Zone	D1.5 Mixed Housing Suburban Zone – Objective and Policies, D.1.6 Mixed Housing Urban Zone – Objective and Polices, and D.1.7 Terrace Housing and Apartment Objective Policies
D1.7 Terrace Housing and Apartment Zone Residential Standard Medium Density Zone	D.1.7 Terrace Housing and Apartment Objective Policies
D1.7 Terrace Housing and Apartment Zone Residential Intensive Medium Density Zone	D.1.7 Terrace Housing and Apartment Objective Policies
Residential Standard High Density Zone (Would be found in Metropolitan, Super Metropolitan, and City Centre Zones as an “overlay”)	D.3.2 City Centre Zone Objective and Polices, and D3.3 D3.4 Metropolitan Centre Objectives and Policies
Residential Intensive High Density Zone (Would be found in Metropolitan Centre, Super Metropolitan Centre, and City Centre Zones as an “overlay”)	D.3.2 City Centre Zone Objective and Polices, and D3.3 D3.4 Metropolitan Centre Objectives and Policies

Remembering some overlays would be absorbed into the new zones cutting down the need for as many complex overlays as we currently have. As I would rather be going to a single point in the Unitary for information on what I can and can not build on a zone rather than through the entire thing thanks to the complex overlays.

Here is how the above proposal would absorb some of the height overlays that can be cast over the existing proposed Unitary Plan zones especially the Terraced Housing and Apartment Zone

New Residential Zone Basic Development Controls (maximum height development controls) for Unitary Plan

Relief Sort	Consequential Changes
Residential Standard Low Density Zone	Two Storeys Maximum permitted, Three Storeys a Restricted Discretionary Activity
Residential Intensive Low Density Zone	Two Storeys Maximum permitted, Three Storeys is a Restricted Discretionary Activity Apartments and Terraced Housing are non-complying
Residential Classic Medium Density Zone	Up to three storeys as permitted activity. Four Storeys is a Restricted Discretionary Activity. Above four storeys is non-complying
Residential Standard Medium Density Zone	3-6 storeys permitted. Above 6 storeys and below 3 storeys on any new development is noncomplying
Residential Intensive Medium Density Zone	3-8 storeys permitted. Above 8 storeys and below 3 storeys on any new development is noncomplying
Residential Standard High Density Zone	Subject to rules such as those prescribed in the Business Zone definitions
Residential Intensive High Density Zone	Subject to rules such as those prescribed in the Business Zone definitions

And from there you work through the development controls and translate them from the existing proposed zones into the respective new zones above.

But the point being through adding more zones and less overlays complexity is removed and development is easier to do (as well as compliance).

Refinement does need to be done as well but that can hopefully be done in mediation before the Hearings start.

Unitary Plan Submission