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Unitary Plan Hearings Update (15/12/2014) – UPDATE #1

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Council Nutted Over Greenfield Releases

 

I am observing the Unitary Plan hearings currently under way in which the Panel is covering ‘Urban Growth.’

Currently the full panel is hammering Auckland Council over both the Rural Urban Boundary itself as well as Greenfield releases. Specifically around how the releases would be done and would the releases mitigate against land banking.

But the big revelation came from Council after Panel Member Shepard (http://www.aupihp.govt.nz/profiles/#panel) finally managed to get out them this:

Council to the Panel: “we’ve (Auckland Council) always been reactive and not having the budgets to service development”

 

Council was long warned on both those particular matters especially being reactive rather than proactive around infrastructure provisions. I distinctly remember early in the Unitary Plan debates in 2013 that we should be proactive rather than reactive with infrastructure provisions (amongst other things) but our Deputy Mayor, and Chief Planning Officer didn’t want a bar of it for being afraid of running into infrastructure surpluses rather than deficits as current.

In my opinion being proactive would not result in an infrastructure surplus. To get that you need a total economic collapse like the USA went through with the Global Financial Crisis which killed off many new Greenfield developments still sitting idle today and giving rise to that surplus. Auckland right now is not teetering on such collapses so we should be getting proactive rather than be reactive which proves to be more expensive as the Council is commenting now on not having the budgets.

UPDATE #1

Well this is interesting:

Fuller: Has there been a detailed economic study on house price on the compact urban form?
Fairgray No

No wonder why Council has at the moment buried the Cost of Growth Study until next year after it was meant to be released this month. It seems Council has NOT done any detailed economic studies on house prices via the compact city model….

 

Lessons for Sydney here as it embarks on its own Sydney Plan (A Plan For Growing Sydney)

 

Glenora Road Station?

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And what about Te Mahia and Westfield

 

I saw in the Auckland Transport Board Meeting closed agenda for this month as well as the forward program sheet that three stations are up for discussion and possible decisions.

They are:

  1. Whether to close Te Mahia and/or Westfield Stations
  2. Allow Glenora Road Station to be built next to the Takanini Village

 

The Agenda and Forward Program papers that caught my attention

 

 

Comments

I note that the discussion around all three stations is behind closed doors under the justification of frank and free discussion to which a decision will be noted (rather than actioned by the looks of it). All three stations have stirred up the emotions with Manurewa Local Board roping in the Mayor to get Te Mahia to stay open while Papakura Local Board and Councillor Calum Penrose are fighting to get Glenora Road Station built and operation (rather than Auckland Transport’s favoured Tironui Station).

What could be indicative around Westfield and Te Mahia is that they are on the Auckland Plan Transport Network funding program for upgrades. Meaning if full funding is available the stations would be upgraded within the next 10 years otherwise not at all under the current Basic Transport Network scenario. However, that APTN and BTN could change depending how the Governing Body treats the final version of the Long Term Plan next year.

That said Glenora Road Station is not on either the APTN or BTN but if Auckland Transport give it the green light then somehow the Council will need to get funding for it.

 

The agenda paper notes that the decisions around those three stations will be released in due course. It will be VERY interesting to see which way AT fall over these stations.

 

Public Transport Livery To Be Consistant

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A Universal Brand

 

Auckland Transport are simplifying things as we start heading into the new public transport regime from mid next year.

From Auckland Transport with more on Tuesday:

A consistent look for public transport in Auckland

Auckland Transport is about to give the city’s public transport network a fresh, clear, consistent brand.

Over the next three years the branding will be phased in starting with the LINK services and the Northern Express.

Auckland Transport’s General Manager Marketing and Customer Experience Mike Loftus says a single identity will give Aucklanders and visitors a clearer understanding of what public transport is on offer and which areas specific buses, trains and ferries serve.

“Most metropolitan cities have a single brand network that is easy to recognise and enables clear, consistent communication with customers. Currently in Auckland there is no single identity, we have a variety of brands and looks. Customers relate to buses by the operator name rather than the wider public transport network”.

Auckland Transport’s Group Manager Public Transport Mark Lambert says having a single public transport network will ultimately build public confidence in the developing and improving PT system. “Knowing that all the services are integrated and part of the same system will help grow patronage”.

The  branding will mean common livery across public transport vehicles but differentiated by colour depending on the type of service.

The implementation of the livery is already underway and budgeted for on the electric trains.

Costs for the bus fleet will be kept to a minimum through:

  • Retention of ocean blue for Rapid Network services (Northern Express is already this colour).
  • Retention of red, green, orange and light blue for existing targeted services of the City LINK, Inner LINK, Outer LINK and Airbus.
  • The rest of the bus fleet to be transitioned as part of new contracts and costs incurred through new contract rates.

Mr Lambert says Auckland’s bus operators are aware of the changes and are working with Auckland Transport.

The Auckland Plan looks to double public transport trips from 70 million in 2012 to 140 million in 2022. The Auckland Plan’s priorities for Auckland’s transport system include “a single system transport network approach that manages current congestion problems and accommodates future business population growth to encourage a shift toward public transport.”

The new branding will be unveiled next Tuesday 16 December.

—ends—

Source: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/a-consistent-look-for-public-transport-in-auckland/

 

Now then if we can just get those interchanges and, park and rides built so people could use this new network more…