Tag: Unitary Plan Committee

Developments from the Unitary Plan Hearings

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Contention around access to resources for Community Groups

 

I have seen this from Local Board Chair Peter Haynes in regards to a motion Councillor Cathy Casey put forward at the Unitary Plan Committee today:

Peter Haynes‘s status.
6 minutes ago
At the open meeting of the Council’s Unitary Plan Committee. Cathy Casey moved for a report to prolong the hearings process to assist community groups faced with a very unequal battle against major developers such as Eden Park. I urged the Governing Body to give serious consideration to resourcing certain community groups to engage expert witnesses. My colleague from Orakei, Desley Simpson also spoke about the difficulties the convoluted hearings process pose for such groups. Sadly, Cathy’s motion was lost on Alf Filipaina’s casting vote.

I have noted from a couple of Procedural Minutes from the Independent Hearing Panel for the Unitary Plan as well as the Committee Agenda (see: website down so will get the link when it is back up) that the Council nor the Hearings Panel are particular interested in making resources available to submitting groups so that they can front the Hearings Panel better equipped. Furthermore the Minister for the Environment has refused access to those resources as well.

 

It definitely seems so after my previous Unitary Plan Hearings Already Into Trouble? first pointed it out.

 

Unitary Plan Huh?

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Interesting Provision for Planning Officers during the Unitary Plan Hearings

 

I have a lot of time for Bob Dey who is a veteran writer on Auckland issues (as well as other matters). Bob is often on the media table alongside me and others when we are “doing our thing” on reporting on these Auckland issues. I can safely say Bob does not have much time for “bollocks” that can go on, something I have little time for either.

I picked up on one of Bob’s own blog posts proceedings at the most recent Unitary Plan Committee meeting (the Committee that provides directions to planning officers while the Unitary Plan Independent Hearings happen) something that I found odd and Bob most certainly did. Might get an email flicked to Council seeking clarification.

From Bob Dey’s Property Report

Key unitary plan issues listed

on Sunday 6 July 2014 in Land use, Planning, Sectors, Spatial plan 0
Auckland Council plan development manager JohnDuguid has set out a list of key unitary plan issues – from the council perspective – based on initial submissions. It might change once the period for further submissions closes on 22 July.Biggest topic is zoning, particularly residential zoning.

9400 submitters have raised almost 100,000 submission points. Mr Duguid says in a report for the council’s unitary plan committee on Tuesday as many as 700 topics might require a hearing.

The council is in a different position from usual at the unitary plan hearings, which will be before an independent panel, will involve prehearing meetings & mediation and will see the council staff not as advisors to the panel but as submitters.

Estimates are that prehearing meetings will start in September and the hearings will start in November, ending in April 2016.

Just to keep the process rolling, the council’s unitary plan committee has to agree to positions to be adopted at prehearings, mediation and during the formal hearings. Submitting parties will have to do the same, or the process won’t be completed within the 2016 deadline for hearings to be completed.

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One unusual admission in Mr Duguid’s report – on which he didn’t elaborate – is that “there may be situations where council staff are unable to support the council’s position (as directed by the unitary plan committee). Should this occur, attempts will be made to find a consultant who is able to support the council’s position. The committee does, however, need to be aware that such a situation could result in the council’s position being set out at the hearings without any supporting expert evidence.”

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Source: http://www.propbd.co.nz/key-unitary-plan-issues-listed/

 

The Committee Paper has it here: 9 Unitary plan, update [point 17]

Okay can someone in Council explain what this means please as this seem perplexing.

 

 

Council Submission to Unitary Plan

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You Can Hear Those Deliberations This Thursday

 

As I made a brief note in the Main Council to Review CCOs this morning as well as in Unitary Plan Update last week, Auckland Council is preparing its submission to the Unitary Plan.

From Auckland Council:

Council to finalise submission on Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan

 

Auckland Council’s submission on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan will be finalised in open council meetings this week.

A draft of the submission will be discussed at the Unitary Plan Committee tomorrow. Committee chair Alf Filipaina says the scale and size of the proposed plan, and the new legislation that guides the submission and hearings process, meant a council submission was appropriate.

“Following notification, the next step was to go back and review everything in the proposed plan. Our submission covers the corrections and refinements found in this review, but not policy changes, as it is up to Aucklanders to have their say on the proposed plan and make their own suggestions for changes.”

All submissions on the plan need to be in by 5pm on Friday 28 February. These will then be coded and published online by the end of May, along with summary reports of the decisions requested in them.

There will then be a round of further submissions in mid-2014, where people will have an opportunity to address any of the points raised – including those raised in the council submission – to say whether or not they agree.

Councillor Filipaina says, “The further submissions phase is all about people having a chance to look at what others have said and respond. It’s especially useful if someone has said something that affects your property – it’s then your opportunity to get what you think across to the hearings panel.”

The Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel, led by Judge David Kirkpatrick, will set out the process for the hearings once it has assessed the volume and extent of submissions, as well as the topics they cover.

 

Issues covered in the council submission include:

  • –       More accurately defining Public Open Space zones
  • –       Addressing inconsistencies in the zoning of some parcels of land based on flood risk data
  • –       Clarification of how provisions that protect sites of value to mana whenua should be interpreted
  • –       Amending some of the extent of Significant Ecological Areas, where these are found to no longer be appropriate
  • –       Including new precincts and/or rules  as a result of recent Environment Court decisions
  • –       Correcting areas of inconsistent numbering
  • –       Corrections to some heritage overlays
  • –       Correcting zoning errors for some individual sites

 

The council website – www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/unitaryplan – has a range of material Aucklanders can use to find out more about the plan and help them to have their say:

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Agenda containing the Council’s submission

 

My Own Submission