Category: Politics

The Politics behind the issue or of the day

Unitary Plan Updates Day 4

·

And Auckland Just Got Sent Back to the 1960’s

 

I will post a full update tomorrow on Day 4’s proceedings which did not even get to the Rural Urban Boundaries.

In short after the gains we made getting Auckland to the 1970’s on Friday, Councillors and Local Board Chairs (some in each category) managed to send Auckland straight back to the 1960’s (it would have been 50’s if Councillor Brewer’s last amendments did not get defeated).

And so the question to those Councillors and Local Board Chairs: Where are the houses going to go? Because they will not all fit in the 160,000/40% Greenfield allocation within the Rural Urban Boundary – less Manukau, New Lynn and Albany can get some impressive 26-36 storey towers to take the brunt…

 

My report (scathing as that will be) will be up tomorrow. None the less it has given an extreme sense of urgency to the Manukau Super Metropolitan Centre and getting that set up for the South.

 

Unitary Plan Updates – Day 3.1

·

An Update from Auckland Council

 

From Auckland Council on the last three days of Unitary Plan proceedings

Council progresses towards Proposed Unitary Plan 

Councillors and local board chairs have wrapped up the first three days of decisions on changes to the draft Unitary Plan. 

Key parts of the plan, including residential zones, affordable housing, business zones, parking, the Port and the City Centre were covered at the meetings. Changes were discussed for each topic and the majority of issues resolved. 

Residential zones were the major focus of the discussions. Decisions were reached on all of the residential changes except for one proposal regarding greater flexibility for density on sites larger than 2,500 sqm in the Mixed Housing Suburban Zone, which will be revisited next week. 

Auckland Plan Committee Chair, Penny Hulse says “We have had three days of robust debate, discussions and decision-making. The involvement of the local board chairs has been extremely valuable in these discussions and I am pleased with the progress we’ve made.” 

Some of the key changes decided at the Auckland Plan Committee meetings included: 

  • Further reclamation for the Port to be a non-complying activity and a stage 2 study to be undertaken
  • Require all residential development of 15 or more dwellings to include at least 10% of dwellings as retained affordable housing
  • On 1200 sqm (or more) sites in the Mixed Housing Suburban Zone, a maximum of one dwelling for every 200 sqm
  • Residential developments of five or more houses will require a six star Homestar energy rating
  • Primary and secondary schools will now have a special purpose school zone

 

Additional Auckland Plan Committee meetings will continue next week to discuss the remaining issues on the agenda.

—Ends—

 

Due to the prolonged debate over the Residential Provisions thanks to the now defeated Councillor Hartley/2040 Auckland amendments to the Mixed Housing Zone, we have an extra two days of Unitary Plan proceedings. They are as followed (subject to any other possible updates:

Monday 2 September

The proposed issues for discussion are as follows:

  • Historic Heritage and Special Character
  • Zoning
  • Heights in Centres
  • New Growth
  • Rural

Thursday 5 September:

The Auckland Plan Committee meeting is likely to continue into Thursday 5 September. All remaining issues will be discussed.

 

I will not be at either of those proceedings at this point and time. However, where possible I will keep an eye via the All About Auckland video feed as I did yesterday.

My own commentary on Day Three’s proceedings will be posted tomorrow.

 

 

Related articles

Unitary Plan Updates – Day 2

·

We Finally Move on from Residential Provisions

 

Two days later the Auckland Plan Committee finally got through Recommendations A-E, V, and W. Effectively 7 out of 69 recommendations have been passed since yesterday.

What happened on those two days? Some rather shameless (or is it shameful) politicking and lobbying via the now defeated Councillor Ann Hartley-slash-Auckland 2040 lobby group’s amendments. If some of the more dangerous ones passed, they would have held Auckland back towards 1950’s style planning for the next 30 years. There were a few amendments though that were needed to clear things up in which the planners supported any how (these were not wrecking amendments though). Councillor Hartley’s amendments had effectively grounded down the Auckland Plan Committee into spending two full days covering residential provision. The Committee has not even started yet on such topics as:

  • The Rural Urban Boundary
  • Business Zones and The Centres
  • Social and Physical Infrastructure
  • Port of Auckland
  • Heights in some centres

 

Despite what some representatives and others might think, I hold the liberal view that through defeating these amendments Auckland has stepped one bit closer a more liberalised planning framework. What does that mean? For every control the conservatives lug onto the Unitary Plan whether it be: 80m2 minimum backyards in the Mixed Housing Zones, minimum parking on the Terrace Housing/Apartment Zone and Mixed Housing Zones, minimum lot sizes (so opposite unlimited density in certain circumstances) and so on is a cost to the developer that is passed on to the end-user – the resident.

Furthermore the planning disasters we have had in Auckland are actually owing to two things:

  • The Building Act reforms of the late 90s and early 00’s which led to the leaking housing disaster
  • Over Planning (too many controls) which as an example led to the shoe box apartments we see in the city today

And so if the cost has to be passed on from the developer to the end-user what do we get? Housing Affordability and Choice out of reach even further for everyone, not just Anglo-Saxon nuclear families.

Now I do advocate quality urban design via the Auckland Design Manual and solid building of dwelling (such as treated timber, eaves, and good heating and ventilation of the house interior). But I will not advocate controls that interfere with a freer market to deliver the choices and price ranges to every single person whether they are in a collective or nuclear family living in Auckland. Controls as seen in Councillor Hartley’s amendments that were defeated today, and Councillor Brewer’s parking amendments that also need to be defeated.

 

I do give my absolute congratulations for Councillor George Wood for his reasoning, logic and sanity in voting down those Auckland wrecking amendments. Thank you George for allowing us to bring Auckland slowly out of 1950 to the 21st Century.

 

I have decided to be at tomorrow’s proceedings as the Councillors pass the recommendations on:

  • The Business Zones (including the Metropolitan, Town and Local Centres)
  • The City Centre which includes Port of Auckland
  • Social and Physical Infrastructure

 

Live Tweets and updates will occur as they happen.

Oh one last thing:

“Any urban plan thicker than one’s thumbnail length will fail and cost the city due to the said plan’s over complex nature which makes it beyond comprehension.”

Controls add to the thickness of an Urban Plan…

Remedy? DIET!

 

TALKING AUCKLAND

Talking Auckland: Blog of TotaRim Consultancy Limited

TotaRim Consultancy
Bringing Well Managed Progress to Auckland and The Unitary Plan

Auckland: 2013 – YOUR CITY, YOUR CALL

Related articles

Unitary Plan Updates – Day 1

·

Long and Only One Actual Decision Made

 

If I was to give a one line summary of Day One of the Unitary Plan proceedings it would be this:

Elect Councillors who know how to give 30 second speeches. Anything beyond that is always irrelevant dribble stuck on a Merry-Go-Round with the Emergency Stop Button busted.

Okay a bit more than a single line but the sums up yesterday after only one major resolution (out of a few pages worth (which I will stick up in a moment)) was passed and we have only two days left.

I will not be present at Day Two of the Unitary Plan proceedings today. I will be on TotaRim business in Manukau today advancing the Manukau Super Metropolitan Centre concept with potential stakeholders. Tomorrow I might be back at Town Hall depending on today’s outcomes both in Manukau and at Town Hall. However, if Councillors are that damned slow in getting through the recommendations I might consider Friday a write off entirely and go do something else.

 

So what did we get out of Day One? Well two three things.

Starting with Councillor Brewer’s shameless motion to effectively kill off the three day proceedings and stall it until November 30. This was his motion which he tried to get through but failed on a vote of 6-15 (and thankfully):

My amendment by 15 votes to 6:

 

Brewer/Fletcher: “That the Auckland Plan Committee delays its decision until November to approve the notification of an amended  draft of the Auckland Unitary Plan to allow the local body elections to conclude, and to give the newly publicly mandated second term council the opportunity to review and seek advice, and to allow the wider community and stakeholders more time and input on the latest revised changes and significant new information still emerging.”

 

The 6 that voted for this were: Brewer, Fletcher, Lee, Stewart, Quax and one other (but can’t be seriously bothered digging that up).

 

Once that shameless motion was defeated soundly the Committee moved onto Residential provisions in the Unitary Plan – which we are still on as I write this very post today.

Basically what the Councillors are trying to do is get through all these recommendations (embedded below) so that the Unitary Plan can be decided on September Five whether to be notified or not.

These are the recommendations the Auckland Plan Committee are trying to get through:

 

The only recommendations that passed yesterday were the following:

  • A
  • B
  • L – which was amended to allow 10% “affordable” housing in a Greenfield development area – not the original 7%. It is to note that the amendment only passed on a vote of 11-9

 

For more “fast” updates check my Taking Auckland Facebook page or @BenRoss_AKL Twitter link. There is really no point doing a 5000 word post on giving the breakdown of yesterday’s proceedings believe me. Not unless you want to share my utter pain of being stuck on a Merry-Go-Round stuck on fast with the emergency button busted…

 

In saying this with Day Two, I will be keeping tabs on the live video feed and will Tweet happenings as they happen – if they happen today. The live feed can be found here http://www.allaboutauckland.com/

 

Oh one thing seeming we are dealing with the Residential provisions in the Unitary Plan. I have a copy of all of Councillor Ann Hartley’s amendments to these residential provisions in the Unitary Plan. Councillor Hartly seems to have done a total U-Turn on her stances – owing most likely to being “influenced” by lobby groups possibly like Auckland 2040. I will get the amendments up today on Scribd for your viewing ASAP.

 

More Unitary Plan Updates and documents will be posted later today and tomorrow. However Manukau business must be attended to.

TALKING AUCKLAND

Talking Auckland: Blog of TotaRim Consultancy Limited

TotaRim Consultancy
Bringing Well Managed Progress to Auckland and The Unitary Plan

Auckland: 2013 – YOUR CITY, YOUR CALL

 

 

Related articles

 

Unitary Plan – The Final Countdown

· 1 Comment ·

VOAKL Reporting Live

Morning Auckland and beyond

 

NOTE; The Tracked Changes and Clean Version of the Amended Unitary Plan is over 600MB in size. This makes it hard to upload easily. However, I will have them up and notify you when I do.

-Ben-

 

Today starts the three day super marathon where the Councillors and the Independent Maori Statutory Board begin the final decisions on the Draft Unitary Plan. These decision will solidify the next version of the UP that will go to the Governing Body on September 5. At that September 5 meeting the Council will decide either:

  • A date on formal notification (which at the minimum can be four weeks after the Governing Body meeting itself)
  • Send the Unitary Plan back to the Auckland Plan Committee for further refinement

VOAKL will be reporting Day One live as it happens via both the blog and Facebook/Twitter.

I also have a copy of the 7000 pages of tracked changes that the Committee will be going through over the three days that I will be using to follow this line by line. I will try to get the 7000 pages up later tonight.

Comments and thoughts can be left in the comment box below. I will be moderating if required (so be civil).

 

Related articles

Here We Go – The Unitary Plan

·

Final Countdown until September 5

 

September 5 is when the Governing Body of Auckland Council will formally decide whether to set a date for formal notification of the Unitary Plan (lead-in time will be four weeks if so) or, have the draft sent back to the Auckland Plan Committee for more refinement.

 

But yes, the final countdown is on with August 28-30 being the three days where the Auckland Plan Committee sets the decisions that will make up the draft Unitary Plan for September 5.

From Auckland Council:

Decisions to be made on Unitary Plan changes 

Next week councillors will make decisions on changes to the draft Auckland Unitary Plan before it is notified for public submissions.

 Changes to the plan are based on approximately 22,000 pieces of feedback received from individuals, businesses, community groups and experts, when the plan was released as a draft for 11 weeks of informal engagement. 

“Councillors together with our local board chairs have attended 22 Unitary Plan workshops in the last eight weeks to discuss issues raised by Aucklanders and to consider where changes were needed,” says Auckland Plan Committee Chair, Penny Hulse. 

“This extensive process has involved many hours of discussions and debate and we have come a long way towards resolving most of the big issues. The Auckland Plan Committee meetings are the next step in the process, where councillors will make formal decisions on the changes and a recommendation on notification.” 

Councillors have received a report outlining all key changes as well as an amended version of the draft Unitary Plan. This information is also now available to the public on Auckland Council’s website as an attachment to the Auckland Plan Committee agenda. 

The Auckland Plan Committee meetings will run from Wednesday to Friday next week (28-30 August).

 

—–ends—-

Of course I will be there all three days reporting live from Town Hall as the Council grinds its way through the formal decisions that will set the draft Unitary Plan ready for September 5 – and arguably formal notification.

The Council website containing the agenda and Section 32 Analysis (required by the Resource Management Act 1991) can be found HERE.

The agenda thus far can be found in the embed at the bottom of this post.

I have also requested a copy of the amended version of the Draft Unitary Plan that the Councillors will be discussing over the three-day period. It is formidable in size but I will see if I can upload it somehow for your viewing too.

The Agenda

 

TALKING AUCKLAND

Talking Auckland: Blog of TotaRim Consultancy Limited

TotaRim Consultancy
Bringing Well Managed Progress to Auckland and The Unitary Plan

Auckland: 2013 – YOUR CITY, YOUR CALL

 

Unitary Plan – Towards Notification #2

·

A Warning to the City

Slowing Down the Unitary Plan Will Come at a Great Cost to Auckland

 

As a part of a two-part mini-series I will be going over the Unitary Plan briefing to the media outlets (including Talking Auckland) that occurred yesterday .

In Part One (last post), Talking Auckland looked at: the Unitary Plan and where it has come thus far. Part One will also look at where next with the Unitary Plan – specifically August 28th to 30th and September 5th.

Part Two (this post) will look at one of the questions I asked in regards to the Unitary Plan: could it have been slowed down. Part Two will also serve a warning against those conservative Council candidates who think slowing the Unitary Plan down is a wise idea. Simply done in the name of a Better and Affordable Auckland, slowing down the Unitary Plan does nothing to achieve that. All it achieves is Central Government intervening – something the conservatives might be holding out for

 

Part Two: Could Have the Unitary Plan Been Slowed Down

 

The simple answer to that is NO! Now as this is meant to be running commentary I think I might need to give a bit more than the two letter simple answer.

I need not remind the City (as the Deputy Mayor has already done so countless times) that the Unitary Plan is different from the District Plans of old. With the District Plans the only time “we” – the City get a look and comment on a District Plan is when it was formally notified. Formal notification means formal submissions and a trip to a hearing – often the Environment Court. YUCK for 99% of the City that are not planners or RMA lawyers.

The Unitary Plan was different. We got given the “draft of the draft” where everyone could give feedback no matter who you were in Auckland. That means for the first time the City got to have a good look at the Unitary Plan and comment back on it. And comment back did Auckland do with 22,700 pieces of feedback, with independent commentary being led by this very blog!

As mentioned in Part One, the Council and Local Boards have since June 1 been going through our feedback and changing the Unitary Plan to reflect what we said. The changes that will be introduced to the Auckland Plan Committee and Local Boards will occur August 28th – although they and the media (including me) will have a copy of the tracked changes on Monday. And from there the formal decisions are set over three days (August 28-30th) with the Governing Body giving its final instructions on September 5.

 

This brings me to my warning to those conservatives who will try to slow down the Unitary Plan.

It was confirmed yesterday by the two Penny’s that there is nothing stopping a new Council after October 12 stalling or even withdrawing notification of the Unitary Plan, taking it apart and redoing it again.

Conservative Councillors and candidates, particularly those running in the Albert-Eden and the Tamaki-Maungakiekie Wards at the moment will try to hold out and see if they can get the numbers after October 12 to stall or withdraw the notification on the Unitary Plan (if the September 5 Governing Body meeting decided that the UP was to be notified – it still might not and order the new Auckland Plan Committee to review aspects again before notification).

If I had no confidence in the Unitary Plan as it is I would rally with the conservatives. However, as I do have confidence in the Deputy Mayor and the Unitary Plan I will be rallying against the conservatives who would stall the Unitary Plan out of interests of a small minority.

Yes, a very small minority in two ward areas that are trying to run conservative candidates in those areas. The other wards that could earn my ire have been more constructive. These Wards not attracting my ire include Orakei and most of the North Shore where Auckland 2040 is doing quite a bit of leg work with the Mixed Housing Zone split (to the benefit of the wider City).

If these conservatives get their way and stall the Unitary Plan this is what will happen. For every day the Unitary Plan is stalled is another day pushed back in the three-year notification process. For every day the notification is delayed is another day that fighting the Housing Affordability and Choice crisis is lost. And another day lost in fighting the Housing Affordability and Choice issues is another day of uncertainty in having the city progressed and us losing our best and brightest who want to stay but can not. I also need not remind the City that the Housing Accord’s Special Housing Areas do not come “online” until the Unitary Plan is notified. So stall the notification and you stall getting more houses and apartments being supplied to a growing city. Oh, and if the Unitary Plan is stalled for too long then the Minister for the Environment will intervene and the City really loses out to Wellington.

That is the risk the city runs if the conservatives get their way and stall the Unitary Plan. So, please, I ask you to be careful in the upcoming elections. If the Unitary Plan is stalled by these conservatives serving a small interest, it will come at a great cost to the city – especially the two areas that can ill afford it the most: The South and the West.

Also those who claim that they were shut out of the Unitary Plan process by being denied speaking rights on the UP over the last two months are dead wrong. As the Deputy Mayor confirmed yesterday and as I also know from experience, speaking rights were denied to those wishing to speaking on the UP during the last couple of months. The reason was uniform and straight forward from the Deputy Mayor on why. If one of us (the city) spoke after the feedback session then all 22,700 others could speak. Now 22,700 time five minutes of speaking plus five minutes of questions if the Councillors keep it brief equals – a three month delay. The Deputy Mayor did further say that speaking would be a duplication of what we said in our feedback. In any case I know two of us that did ask for speaking rights and were refused had a good chat or meeting with the Deputy Mayor (and planners) and both of us came away happy. Also  Auckland 2040 and myself have been busy advance both our causes on the side to positive results thus far – and a Better Auckland.

 

So we wait for the August 28-30th Auckland Plan Committee meetings as they set the decisions for the Unitary Plan, ready for September 5.

 

TALKING AUCKLAND

Talking Auckland: Blog of TotaRim Consultancy Limited

TotaRim Consultancy
Bringing Well Managed Progress to Auckland and The Unitary Plan

Auckland: 2013 – YOUR CITY, YOUR CALL

 

Local Government poster png mode