Tag: Auckland

Not All Alone

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Unitary Plan Formal Notification is Decided Today

 

Bernard Orsman said in his article in the NZ Herald this morning that Mayor Len Brown (who is seeking re-election) was “Brown all alone in action on plan.” Taking stock on the last three years as well as the next three years I wonder if it will be parts of the Isthmus and North Shore that will be left all alone in their Snow Globes.

I have mentioned before how the South and the West are preparing to march into the 21st Century with urban development while the parts of the Isthmus and North Shore will remain our err 1950 Snow Globe pieces.

However, despite all the banter, gnashing of teeth, shilling of the minority and (to be fair) some rational intelligent debate the Unitary Plan is set for formal notification today.

Here is the Agenda and Addendum agenda

The Main Agenda

 

The Addendum (Containing the Unitary Plan)

 

So two major items on the agenda today:

  1. Setting the date for formal notification of the Unitary Plan
  2. Preparing for the Special Housing Areas – which needs the Unitary Plan to be notified for them to become “operative”

 

And so the next stage of the “Long War” to bring Auckland into the 21st Century is about to begin. This stage being a three year “campaign.” It will not be easy as our Snow Globes resist the advancement with everything they have but it will be done!

 

As for Orsman’s article well I was taught in my Liberalism papers that ‘democracy often caters to the lowest common dominator‘. It was implying to shill politics adherent to democracy – as a negative of that particular system (all systems have positives and negatives). Unfortunately I have no confidence in Palino having a grip on the Unitary Plan otherwise he would have not made those remarks comparing L.A to Auckland. Shill politics folks…

 

As the Governing Body prepares for Unitary Plan formal notification I will be drawing up my own thanks with regards to the Plan

 

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

 

Final Day of the Unitary Plan

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From Auckland Council

Because I am Utterly Exhausted From All This

 

Unitary Plan recommended for notification

 

Councillors today recommended that the revised version of the draft Unitary Plan be approved for notification and the formal submissions phase.

Auckland Plan Committee Chair Penny Hulse says the recommendation underlined the many important decisions made by elected members over the last two weeks.

“Today’s decision is a significant milestone in the Unitary Plan process. We now have a plan that prior to going out for public submissions has already been shaped and changed based on the feedback of thousands of Aucklanders.”

The proposed Unitary Plan which includes amendments to the maps, policies and rules will now go to Auckland Council’s Governing Body who will be asked to officially endorse the plan for notification.

Once approved, a date will be set for notification which marks the start of the formal public submission phase, and the next opportunity for people to have their say.

 

The Governing Body will meet on Tuesday 10 September.

Ends

 

As for the Southern Rural Urban Boundary Issue. Give me some time and I shall go clear any confusion up around that before we all go knock ourselves out.

 

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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