Category: Unitary Plan

Unitary Plan Updates Day 4

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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 3.2.2

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From Friday to Monday

And Advancing Auckland from the 1950’s to the 1970’s

 

Friday was more tame day at the Unitary Plan proceedings with the day wrapping up at around 3pm. Unfortunately owing to the Residential Provisions being dragged out earlier, the proceedings are forced into the two reserve days (as mentioned in the Unitary Plan Updates – Day 3.1 post.

I am not going to do Councillors’ favourite trick and rehash everything from Friday. You can see the snippets of the day’s proceedings over at my Twitter page – @BenRoss_AKL and most of the amendments on my Talking Auckland Facebook page.

New Zealand Herald reporter Bernard Orsman finally did something right and actually got two good descriptions up of Friday’s proceedings. Again to save me doing a rehash and owing to the fact Orsman did it so well, check his two articles out by clicking on the respective links below

The resolutions that were moved on Friday were the:

  • Public Open Space and Recreation
  • Business Zones (which includes the Centres (Height in Centres is dealt with on Monday)
  • City Centre (including Port of Auckland)
  • Social Infrastructure
  • Physical Infrastructure

While Orsman most of the above, two points were missed that caused a bit of noise and debate during those proceedings. One point was about Colin Maiden Park which is owned by the University of Auckland, the other was about Councillor Cameron Brewer’s Parking Minimums with the Mixed Housing Zone.

 

Colin Maiden Park

With the University of Auckland looking at moving from its Tamaki site to the Newmarket Site (old Lion Brewery site), there is debate about Colin Maiden Park which it owns. Under the Unitary Plan the site is zoned I believe Terrace Housing/Apartment. This means if the University of Auckland as the legal land holder of Colin Maiden Park (home to sports grounds including netball courts) could redevelop the land into Terraced Housing and or low-rise apartments.

Orakei Local Board nervous of this asked Council on Friday to rezone Colin Maiden Park into the Public Open Space and Recreation Zone – so that the park can stay as is once the University shifts.

Problem? Council can not do that (zone Public Open Space/Recreation) on privately held land without the agreement from that landholder. Effectively and essentially Auckland Council would have to seek agreement from the University of Auckland to zone Colin Maiden Park as open space – which means most likely a buy out.

Planner Penny Perrit outlined a landmark Environment Court Case between the old and now defunct Auckland City Council and the Dilworth Trust where that Council tried to put a open space zone over the Trust’s privately held land. A Court battle ensured and ruled that Council could not do that under the Resource Management Act 1991. The site is now home to the Dilworth Primary School.

So this is the issue Auckland Council and the Orakei Local Board would run into with Colin Maiden Park. Unless the University of Auckland agrees – and that will be most likely through a sell out, there will be no Open Space zone on Colin Maiden Park. Whichever way you see this – this is just reality.

 

Councillor Brewer’s Parking Minimums

Councillor Brewer under the Physical Infrastructure section had moved the following resolution:

Brewer/Stewart: “That in the Townhouse And Apartment Building Zone, there be a minimum parking requirement of at least one car-park per dwelling of two or more bedrooms, and in both the Mixed Housing Urban and Suburban zones there be a minimum of one park for studios and one bedrooms as is proposed, and at least two car-parks as a minimum for any new dwelling two bedrooms or more (not three bedrooms as is proposed) to help mitigate increasing car numbers and on-street parking problems .”

It was defeated 6-14 by the Auckland Plan Committee – so a Super Majority (over 67%).

When this amendment was being debated I literally was flooding Twitter with the happenings of the debate as well as my own thoughts. Unlike Councillor Brewer who does not quite no what Neo Liberalism means (as he fesses to be one), I do know what Social Liberalism is and will adhere to it on my beliefs – especially around planning and the economy.

In defeating Councillor Brewer’s Parking Minimum amendment by a Super Majority Level what had happened was that Auckland had taken another step advancing from the 1950s to the 1970’s (I did mean 21st Century but as someone pointed out on Twitter, the 1970s was more apt given the circumstances on Friday, and also how far Auckland has to go to reach the 21st Century)

What I might do is an expose on my planning values that are Social Liberal and how it influences my thoughts around the Unitary Plan.

For the moment though I have some light reading from my opposite number in the USA:

Monday

Monday the Auckland Plan Committee looks at; Heritage (another potential dragger like the Residential provisions), ‘Heights in Centres’ and the Rural Urban Boundary. I won’t be present at Council tomorrow as I will be knuckling down on a project for the next couple of weeks. However I will keep tabs on the All About Auckland video feed and post any major happenings on Twitter when they happen.

September 5 draws close though folks as the Governing Body will decide whether to send the Unitary Plan for formal Notification or not.

 

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Unitary Plan Updates 3.2.1

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Will Get the Update from My Perspective Tonight

 

Owing to the absolute stunner of a day outside, I will get my commentary up on Day 3’s proceeding of the Unitary Plan tonight after sun-down. The commentary will look at the resolutions passed, Councillor Brewer’s defeat (allowing the path to be laid for Auckland advancing from the 1950s to the 1970s as a result), and the apparent hypocrisy of National Party supporters/members in regards to the Unitary Plan.

But for now it is time to enjoy the sun (and tend to the garden ready for Spring).

 

Oh for those who have nothing better to do this weekend, here are the tracked changes to the Unitary Plan: http://www.scribd.com/doc/163821981/APC-The-Rural-Urban-Boundary

 

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Unitary Plan Updates – Day 3.1

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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.

 

 

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Unitary Plan Updates – Day 2

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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

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Unitary Plan Information Dump

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For Your (Tortured Reading)

 

This is a reference to quick easy access to the some of the paper trail that is being presented in the now 5-day Unitary Plan proceedings.

Remember for fast updates on the day’s proceedings, keep tabs with @BenRoss_AKL on Twitter.

 

Auckland Plan Committee 28-30 Aug Agenda

APC Recommendations

What is passed here makes up the UP that goes out for formal notification

APC Additional Information

APC Resident Zones in Seven Local Board Areas

APC: The Rural Urban Boundary

APC: RUB for Massey, Flat Bush and Takanini

APC Residential Zones in part of Rodney Local Board Area

 

The Entire Unitary Plan (Clean) Amended Version

Broken down by PDF and in chapters and sub chapters

http://www.filefactory.com/f/c610f210fe21fea0

 

I will get presentations up by the weekend. Councillor Hartly’s defeated amendments I will upload on request.

 

Unitary Plan Updates – Day 1

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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

 

 

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Unitary Plan – The Final Countdown

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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).

 

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