Tag: Auckland Council

Electric Trains Start on the Manukau Line – Monday [updated]

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A delay but there

 

It seems Monday the 18th the Electric Trains will start running on the Manukau Line in the off-peak periods as part of that limited roll out. They were meant to start plying the Manukau Line on the 13th but that never happened.

 

September/October is when the Electric Train fleet should be fully replacing the diesels on the Manukau Line both peak and off-peak. Or will they?

 

With the Long Term Plan 2015-2025 budget cuts from Auckland Council delaying the purchase of more Electric Trains (beyond the 57 already on order) to beyond 2025 will we see our diesels still plying the network post 2015 when the Electrics are fully rolled out? Something yet to be seen as the LTP debates continue.

 

[Update from Auckland Transport]

A second rail line going electric

15/08/2014 04:18 p.m.

The roll-out of electric trains in Auckland steps up next week with the introduction of the new trains on the Manukau Line.

Initially electric trains will run on some off-peak services, they will be introduced to all services over the next month.

Auckland Transport’s Chief Operations Officer Greg Edmonds says the new trains have been very popular since their introduction on the Onehunga Line in April but with any transition we should be prepared for “teething problems.”

“We want to ensure our customers who use the trains to Manukau are getting a reliable service so we will be gradually increasing the number of electric trains over the next month.”

Meanwhile, testing continues across the rail network following an intermittent power fault which saw some Onehunga services affected. Mr Edmonds stresses there are no safety issues associated with the fault.

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Source: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/a-second-rail-line-going-electric/

 

 

Auckland Development Committee – August 2014

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The Agenda

 

Today at 9:30am the Auckland Development Committee will meet. The agenda can be seen below

 

As normal I will be running my live Tweeting ( @BenRoss_AKL ) through the Committee as well as the Budget Committee and Governing Body that both follow right after the Auckland Development Committee.

 

The Auckland Development Committee will be endorsing Plan Changes amongst other discussions. One of the Plan Changes is the Drury South Plan Change that would allow the creation of the heavy industry complex in southern Drury over time.

The report back on the amount of industrial and commercial land might stir a debate within the Committee and will be one to watch to see if the Councillors can grasp rather long or super long-term planning in regards to land being available for large-scale employment centres. Remember I have said before that Council is good at zoning residential but rather slow in grasping the requirements to allow zoning and the subsequent establishment of commercial and industrial zones that would give rise to employment centres that is needed for Auckland’s long-term prosperity.

The Housing update will definitely cause a stir especially if affordable housing gets mentioned. However, I wonder if the debate will rehash the same old stuff as seen over the last four years?

The debate I would have like to have seen thought is the Special Housing Area Tranche Four item which is behind closed doors. The SHA’s previously have caused quite a bit of teeth gnashing and no doubt this fourth set will do the same. That said the Tranche’s usually go through the Governing Body for final “ratification” so we might see a glimpse of a debate there. Also in light of the SHA troubles that we are seeing (Special Housing Areas Already in Trouble?) I wonder if a Councillor will be brave enough to raise it before going behind closed doors to discuss the Fourth Tranche.

 

All today and all at Town Hall

 

“Development Contributions Commissioners appointed”

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Part of the recent raft of changes brought through in the latest Local Government Act Amendments

 

From Scoop

Development Contributions Commissioners appointed

8 August 2014

Associate Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today announced a further step in the Government’s drive to reduce the cost of building new homes with the appointment of 26 commissioners to the Register of Development Contributions Commissioners.

“These commissioners will serve as a panel to ensure transparency and accountability in the charging of development contributions,” says Mr Lotu-Iiga.

“We are committed to making sure development contributions do not unnecessarily impact housing affordability.”

The appointments follow the passing of the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act (No 3) 2014.
“The Act which comes into force today includes improvements to the development contributions regime, making them fairer and more transparent. This is part of a suite of housing affordability initiatives like increasing land supply, establishing Special Housing Areas, removing tariffs on building materials and reforming the Resource Management Act 1991,” says Mr Lotu-Iiga.
He adds that the development contributions commissioners will make sure that councils can only charge developers for infrastructure related directly to their developments. He says the commissioners will manage the new objections process as the law now allows developers to object to a council’s imposition of a development contribution charge.

“I am pleased with the calibre of people who put their names forward for the register. I am confident that the appointed commissioners possess the relevant knowledge, skills and expertise to serve on the panel.”

All the commissioners are appointed for a three-year term.

For more information about the development contributions objections process visitwww.dia.govt.nz/better-local-government
Commissioner biographies:

  • Stephen Abley is currently the Managing Director of Abley Transportation Consultants. Stephen has extensive engineering experience and has assisted two councils with work that later informed their development contributions policies.
  • Mark Apeldoorn is currently a Director of the Traffic Design Group. Mark has extensive experience in civil engineering with particular expertise in traffic engineering design, urban design in the transport environment, city centre revitalisation and transport supply and demand management.
  • Helen Atkins is currently an environmental and local government law specialist at the Atkins Holm Majurey law firm. Helen is a RMA commissioner, a current board member of the Environmental Risk Management Authority and has previously chaired the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Planning Institute.
  • Simon Berry is one of the founding partners of Berry Simons law firm and specialises in environmental law. He has been in practice as a specialist environmental law barrister and prior to that spent many years as a partner in two law firms.
  • Alan Bickers is a professional engineer and former Chief Executive of Tauranga City Council. Allan is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand and a RMA commissioner.
  • Fraser Campbell is the current Director of Campbell Consulting Limited, an engineering consultancy, and a RMA commissioner. Prior to this, Fraser worked at Palmerston North District Council in several managerial roles.
  • Andy Carr is currently the Director of Carriageway Consulting, a transport engineering consultancy, as well as a RMA commissioner. He is a member of the National Committee of the Resource Management Law Association and is the immediate past Chair of the Canterbury branch of the Association.
  • Paul Cooney is the Partner of law firm CooneyLeesMorgan and acts as Senior Legal Advisor to several territorial authorities. Paul is a RMA commissioner and prior to this was a member of the Casino Control Authority.
  • Alan Dormer is lawyer at Shortland Chambers law firm and specialises in public, environmental and local government law. He also teaches the “Making Good Decisions” programme for RMA commissioners.
  • Tauiliili Fatu Fuatavai is currently the Director and Owner of the Airport Garden Inn Hotel, Trident Tavern and Gordys Bar. He is a commercial and residential property investor. Prior to this he was a Site Engineer working on various high rise buildings and civil engineering projects.
  • Harriet Fraser is currently an Independent Consultant at Harriet Fraser Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning. Harriet has extensive engineering experience with particular focus on traffic engineering and transportation planning.
  • Brian Hasell is an Engineer, and the current Director of Hasell Consulting Limited. He has also been the Wellington Regional Manager for Transit New Zealand and the Chief Executive of Ashburton District Council.
  • David Hutchison is currently the Chief Civil Engineer at Downer New Zealand, a role he has held since 2008. He has extensive experience as a civil engineer.
  • Susan Jackson is experienced both as a civil engineer and local government councillor. She is currently a RMA commissioner, self-employed and in her final year of study for a Graduate Diploma in Business (Dispute Resolution).
  • Steven Kerr is currently a Principal Planner at Montgomery Watson Harza New Zealand. He also has planning experience from his time at CPG/Spiire, Telecom New Zealand Limited, BECA and at several New Zealand territorial authorities, including Upper Hutt City Council, Taupo District Council and Tauranga City Council. Steven is also a RMA commissioner.
  • David McLernon is currently a Director, Project Manager and Project Director at Octa Associates Limited. David has specialist knowledge in engineering.
  • Philip Milne is a lawyer with many years’ experience in the local government and environmental law field. He is currently a practicing Barrister at Waterfront Chambers in Wellington.
  • Graham Nielsen is currently a Management Consultant for SPM Consultants Limited. Graham has extensive experience in mechanical engineering, and has local government knowledge from years working for various councils in the Auckland region.
  • Pamela Peters is currently a consultant based in Auckland and a RMA commissioner. Pamela was the Mayor of Whangarei from 2004 to 2007 and was Deputy Mayor and a councillor for nine years prior to that.
  • Gary Rae is currently a planning consultant based in Nelson and a RMA commissioner. Gary Rae was a regional planner for Transit New Zealand, Principal Planner at Works Consultancy Services, and prior to that an Area Planner at Christchurch City Council.
  • Cindy Robinson specialises in law and is currently the Director of a resource management consultancy firm. She has experience as a board member and chairman of Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust and was previously a partner at Duncan Cotterill law firm.
  • Gregory Shaw is currently the Chief Executive of both Dalian Blue Sea Marina Design Company Limited and the Trade China Group Limited. Gregory also owns an engineering consultancy called The Consulting Group 2006 Limited. Gregory has specialist knowledge in engineering, both civil and structural, and also has experience in negotiation and problem solving.
  • Craig Shearer has specialist knowledge in planning, and local government knowledge from experience working for regional councils, including many years at Auckland Regional Council. He is currently the owner of Shearer Consulting Limited, providing input in to resource management processes.
  • Darrell Statham is currently the Principal of Statham Consulting Limited. He has extensive civil engineering experience and specialises in civil design, economic evaluation and project management.
  • Mark St Clair is a Principal and Co-Director of Hill Young Cooper Limited, a strategic resource management and environmental policy and planning consultancy. He is also a RMA commissioner, a member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and the Resource Management Law Association. Mark has worked previously as both a Senior Planning Consultant at GHD and has held policy and planning positions at Manukau City and Hutt City Councils.
  • Gina Sweetman is a RMA commissioner. She is also an experienced planner, currently working at Sweetman Planning Services. She is familiar with local government and Māori issues through work as a RMA commissioner, and planning and policy advisor for both the public and private sector.

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Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1408/S00153/development-contributions-commissioners-appointed.htm

Something to ponder over before your next development