Agenda of Kaipātiki Local Board

Kaipātiki Local Board

12 November 2014

Monthly Local Board Services Report - October 2014

File No.: CP2014/25618

Purpose

1. The updates in this report relate to the following:

· Town centre transformation

· Parks and sportsfield upgrades

· Transport

· Community development

· Strategic planning and finance

2. The next quarterly local board services report in February will provide an overview of all of the board’s strategic priorities (utilising the red, amber, green status update system).

Recommendation/s

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) approve the design and implementation of the three pieces of play equipment at Marlborough Park detailed in Attachment A.

Comments

Workshops and portfolio briefings

3. A number of Kaipātiki Local Board workshops and portfolio briefings were held in October. Records of all of these meetings are attached to separate reports on this agenda.

4. The following regional and sub-regional briefings took place in October:

· Spatial priorities and the draft infrastructure strategy – 2 October

· Parks Sport and Recreation Committee (with local board chairs only) – destination management framework – 7 October

· CCO review – Governing Body/Local Boards discussion – 8 October

· LTP financial policies discussion – 20 October

· Budget Committee workshop (with local board chairs only) – 24 October.

5. An extraordinary workshop on 12 November is scheduled to cover the following item:

· Long-term plan 2015-2025.

6. The workshop on 19 November is scheduled to cover the following items:

· Birkenhead Personalised Journey Planning Project

· Auckland Transport - Constrained Financial Environment

· Economic Development Projects

· Local Board Local Event Support Fund Round 2 Applications.

7. The workshop on 26 November is scheduled to cover the following items:

· Open Space Provision Guidelines

· Water and Wastewater Bylaw Review

· New Bus Networks - Local Board Pre Engagement & Feedback

· Locally Approved Products Policy.

Strategic Updates

Town Centre transformation

Birkenhead

8. At the board’s business meeting on 8 October, the board resolved the following:

Resolution number KT/2014/1

MOVED by Chairperson K McIntyre, seconded by Deputy Chairperson A Hartley:

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) delegate approval of the Birkenhead Town Centre programme, including decisions on both the mainstreet and viewing platform projects, to a working party of Chairperson Kay McIntyre and Members Grant Gillon, Danielle Grant and Lindsay Waugh.

b) delegate approval of the consultation plan for Birkenhead Town Centre to Chairperson Kay McIntyre and Members Grant Gillon, Danielle Grant and Lindsay Waugh.

9. The working party have now approved the following:

That the working party for the Birkenhead Town Centre programme:

a) approve advancing design development of the following masterplan elements through to consenting and construction within the 2014/15 work programme:

· The Bush Viewing Platform and Development

· Rawene Carpark

· Southern Entrance

· Mokoia Road Bus Stop.

b) approve advancing design development of the following masterplan elements through to consenting and construction within the 2015/16 work programme:

· Highbury Corner

· Northern and Western Entrances

· Hammond Place

· Street furniture upgrade

· Telecom, Mokoia Road and Huka Road pedestrian crossings

· Telecom amenity and split crossing upgrade.

c) notes that achieving this work programme is subject to:

· there being sufficient available funding and no financial impediments, and

· obtaining at appropriate stages all other necessary approvals from the Kaipatiki Local Board or its delegate(s).

10. A further meeting of the working party is scheduled for 5 November.

Northcote

11. City Transformation are currently exploring interim signage options with a possible installation date of February 2015.

12. Two artists have been engaged to work collaboratively on the toilet proposal. The tender process for the toilet construction has been completed, with final negotiations underway with the contractor. Construction will commence in February 2014.

Beach Haven community space

13. The tender has now been issued for the construction of the Beach Haven community space. Work is due to commence on site in early April next year due to the placemaking group requiring use of the site throughout March.

Parks and sportsfield upgrades

14. The recent capex deferral process from all local board budgets (deferral of capital projects and associated budgets from the 2014/2015 financial year to the 2015/2016 financial year) has had an impact on the budget available to deliver on the board’s parks work programme which was approved on 9 July.

15. Discussions at parks portfolio holder meetings in October have focused on reviewing the work programme and budget in order to ensure that the maximum is delivered. There may be a need for formal decision making around the work programme which will take place in December.

Marlborough Park play equipment

16. Funding of $125,280 is in place and has been approved by the Kaipātiki Local Board to provide play equipment that is based on a parkour theme at Marlborough Park in Glenfield.

17. A number of different design options have been worked through with the Kaipātiki Local Youth Board and the Kaipātiki Community Facilities Trust at a workshop with the board on 27 August 2014.

18. These have been incorporated into the final design and the play equipment proposed is able to be used for multiple purposes. They provide seating and general play options, as well as being able to be used by older youth for parkour. The final design is attached at Attachment A.

19. The three interactive, natural play areas will be laid out to create a parkour type course through the park, as well as being able to be used individually for physical activity, play or socialising.

20. The ‘Boulder Run’ is a series of quarry boulders installed in two artificial turf mounds, bounded by a cut out block wall beside the basketball court. This run is designed to create opportunities for physical and social activity for any age group, including running, leaping, landing, balancing, rolling, socialising and imaginative play. The vertical and horizontal complexity allows users with different skill levels to use the space in any number of relaxed or challenging ways.

21. The ‘Wave Bench Run’ is a series of three multi-level, rolling wave form timber and steel benches, each three to four meters long. This run is designed to create similar opportunities for physical and social activity as the Boulder Run. In addition, the benches have been engineered to withstand skateboards and BMX bikes. They are located to allow for views around the park and for the Movies in the Park screenings.

22. The ‘Timber Pattern Area’ is an octagonal space offering multi-level, inter-locking timber balance beams. The area is designed to create similar opportunities for physical and social activity as the Boulder Run. Its location, adjacent to the existing rope climbing pyramid, is likely to increase the use of that element, both for play and for general physical activity.

23. If the board approves the design and implementation in November, the physical works could start in February 2015 and would take about four weeks to complete.

Transport

24. The board has drafted the attached feedback on the Onewa Road T3 information and consultation plan, which has been submitted to Auckland Transport. This report provides the opportunity to confirm this feedback.

25. A separate report on this agenda provides further updates on Auckland Transport matters, including the Auckland Transport Local Board Capital Discretionary Fund. The board is being asked to determine which projects they would like to proceed with, as a number of the original projects requested for scoping by the board have now been scoped.

26. The report also outlines a detailed response from AT on the HOP card issues raised by the local board. Following the resolution of the board at the community forum on 22 October, a letter is being drafted to the Chief Executive of Auckland Transport from the Chairperson requesting a response to the issues raised.

Community development

27. Following the joint local board and Kaipātiki Community Facilities Trust (KCFT) workshop on 2 July, a small working party of the Chairperson, the chair of the KCFT, the Senior Community Co-ordinator (KCFT) and Senior Community Development Facilitator (Auckland Council) have been meeting to draft a partnership agreement between the trust and the local board.

28. This will be presented at a further joint workshop of the local board and the trust on 27 November and subsequently at the board’s December meeting for final approval.

Strategic planning and finance

29. The board approved the Kaipātiki Local Board Plan on 8 October. The final designed version of the plan for publication is now being finalised.

30. Work on the council’s Long-term plan 2015-2025 continues. The Budget Committee will be approving the budget for the draft Long-term plan at its meeting on 5-6 November. Following this, the board has a scheduled extraordinary workshop on 12 November to discuss the local consultation material and allocation of the locally-driven initiatives budget.

31. The board will approve this material at its business meeting in December. Public consultation on the draft Long-term plan will commence early in 2015.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

32. Local board views are sought via this report.

Māori impact statement

33. There are no specific impacts on Māori arising from this report.

Implementation

34. There are no implementation issues identified in this report.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Marlborough Park play equipment final design	39

Signatories

Authors	Sarah Broad - Senior Advisor
Authorisers	Eric Perry - Relationship Manager

Kaipātiki Local Board

12 November 2014

New community lease, The Norman King Building, 2 Norman King Square, Northcote

File No.: CP2014/24788

Purpose

1. This purpose of this report is to request the local board to consider and as appropriate, either call for expressions of interest to lease part of the first floor of The Norman King Building, 2 Norman King Square, Northcote or approve the offer of a new community lease for the premises to North Shore Community Health Network Incorporated (Raeburn House).

Executive summary

2. The Norman King Building was erected by the former Northcote Borough Council in 1989. The land and the building are owned by Auckland Council with the site being held in fee simple.

3. The two storey building is located within a precinct of community facilities in the Northcote Shopping Centre and is located adjacent to the Northcote Library, The Citizens Advice Bureau, The Plunket Rooms and Onepoto Awhina community house and early learning centre (Attachment A).

4. The building accommodates NorthArt, a council supported community gallery and arts centre and a commercial Laundromat on the ground floor. The first floor is divided into two tenancies, one occupied under the terms of a community lease by North Shore Community Health Network Incorporated (Raeburn House) and the other being a commercial office use. The total floor area of both spaces is approximately 400m² (Attachment B).

5. Opettio Importers, the commercial tenancy on the first floor is managed on a month to month basis as the Kaipatiki Local Board has been looking at options to transfer this space to the community lease portfolio for some time. The local board is now in a position to commit funds to facilitate this process and has directed council staff to progress this.

6. Council’s Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012 recommend that any vacancies of space held in the community lease portfolio be advertised seeking expressions of interest from eligible community organisations.

7. Applicants must meet eligibility criteria including legal status, provide programmes or services that align with the relevant local board plan, be financially viable and sustainable and meet identified needs in the area.

8. An application has been received from Raeburn House to surrender the lease held for its existing premises and to secure a community lease for the entire first floor of the building. This would enable it to better manage the use of its existing space and reconfigure the layout to meet the needs of the community. It would also allow the organisation to expand the services and programmes it offers and to collaborate with and support other community organisations that could occupy or deliver services form the property.

9. Raeburn House has in recent years been in dialogue with the former Birkenhead Northcote Community Board and the Kaipatiki Local Board regarding this proposal. There are outstanding council resolutions to support the consideration of this request should the Kaipatiki Local Board choose not to seek expressions of interest (Attachment C).

10. The application from Raeburn House has been assessed by staff against the criteria in the Community Occupancy Guidelines. All criteria are met and the organisation has also complied with all lease conditions relating to its existing office.

11. This report recommends that expressions of interest to lease the first floor office premises be sought.

Recommendation/s

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) in accordance with the Auckland Council Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012, calls for expressions of interest to lease the first floor premises on the south east side of the Norman King Building, 2 Norman King Square, Northcote.

Comments

12. The Norman King Building was erected by the former Northcote Borough Council in 1989. The land and the building are owned by Auckland Council with the site being held in fee simple.

13. The two storey building is located within a precinct of community facilities in the Northcote Shopping Centre and is adjacent to the Northcote Library, The Citizens Advice Bureau, The Plunket Rooms and Onepoto Awhina community house and early learning centre (Attachment A).

14. The building accommodates NorthArt, a council funded community gallery and arts centre and a commercial laundromat on the ground floor. The first floor is divided into two tenancies, one occupied under the terms of a community lease by North Shore Community Health Network Incorporated (Raeburn House) and the other by Opettio Importers that hold a commercial tenancy (Attachment B).

15. The commercial tenancy on the first floor is running on a month to month basis as the Kaipatiki Local Board has been looking at options for some time to transfer this space from the commercial lease portfolio to the community lease portfolio. The necessary funds have now been secured to effect this transfer and the tenant of the commercial space has been notified of the impending changes at the facility.

16. The Auckland Council Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012 provide that when a vacancy occurs in the community lease portfolio that expressions of interest be sought from groups and organisations that meet specified eligibility criteria. Criteria includes legal status, the provision of programmes or services that align with the relevant local board plan and further that meet identified needs in the area.

17. The Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012 also state that applications for community occupancy agreements will be assessed on a case-by-case basis as and when they become available.

18. An application has been received from North Shore Community Health Network Incorporated (Raeburn House) seeking the Kaipatiki Local Board’s approval to surrender its existing lease of part of the first floor and the granting of a new community lease for the entire first floor of the Norman King Building on terms consistent with the Auckland Council Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012.

19. North Shore Community Health Network (Raeburn House) was incorporated in 1984 and has operated a multi-agency community and migrant resource hub from the Norman King Building since 2009 at which time a community lease was approved for the western wing of the first floor.

20. At this time the Birkenhead Northcote Community Board resolved that Raeburn House also be offered the lease of the remaining office space on level one of the building when the commercial lease expired (Attachment C).

21. The Kaipatiki Local Board is now in a position to effect the transfer of the commercial lease to the community portfolio having secured a budget $30,000 and has directed staff to progress this matter (Attachment D).

22. Raeburn House is a well-respected organisation that has an integrated focus on mental, organisational and community wellbeing. It fully complies with all criteria in the Auckland Council Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012 to hold a community lease and has met all lease conditions for its existing tenancy.

23. The organisation is the recipient of a Term Grant from council to;

· build capacity and capability in the community sector

· support communities through provision of information and resources

· demonstrate leadership and best practice in community engagement and participation

· support the development of the Norman King Hub as a collaborative community and multi-agency space for migrants , refugees and community

· support migrants to settle well and develop a sense of belonging in New Zealand

· provide infrastructure support to community organisations via the Community Business Hub

24. Current users of the facility include;

· English Language Partners

· Huaxin Chinese Language School

· Japanese Hawaiian Dance Group

· North Shore Chinese Network

· Northcote Business Association

· Citizens Advice Bureau

· Global Food and Friends

25. Raeburn House produces a full accountability report every six months and any significant achievements or developments are also brought to the attention of the local board portfolio holders monthly. The information overleaf was taken from the report for the period ending 30 June 2014 and demonstrates the ability of the organisation to deliver against a schedule of work that was aligned with the sub regional multi board outcomes, the council service delivery partnership and the identified needs across the Northern region.

o Over the six month period from January to June 2014 Raeburn House responded to 20,468 information and referral enquiries and the website received 45,762 hits.

o Continuance of key services, agencies and associations utilising the Norman King building included SSNZ North Shore, Settling In, Citizens Advice Bureau Northcote (which has since located to the ground floor), North Shore Chinese Community Network plus hot-desking which included Waitakere Law, a number of community groups and individuals.

o This six month period has seen the further bedding in of the Community Volunteer Centre with 60 volunteers on the register.

o Over the period Raeburn House held six Training Workshops with an average of 10 attendees, 98% stating how effective they were and that they would be taking the training back to share with their work colleagues. The successful delivery included the ‘Resilient Community Worker Toolkit Modules (4 modules over 2 days)’, ‘Results Based Accountability (RBA)’, ‘Asset Based Community Development + Collective Impact + RBA = Well-formed Outcomes’.

o Through the Community Business Hub Raeburn House continues to provide back office support to three organisations. This initiative is a slow burn but as the reputation and promotion grows demand is predicted to rise. A page has been created on the website outlining the offer of the Business Administration Hub and a flyer has been developed to promote the service along with a questionnaire used to ascertain core information about organisations and groups that approach the Business Administration Hub for support. In response to the feedback provided from the organisations supported the service has been increased to include sharing of databases and bringing on board an external accountant to provide Year End and Board Reporting, along with sharing of policy documentation.

26. If Raeburn House is granted the lease of the additional space it will not only permit it to better configure its current space but will also enable it to continue to grow its services in particular the Community Volunteer Centre that provides information and pathways for new migrants into employment.

27. Raeburn House has already been in discussion with other community organisations who have indicated an interest in using the new space including;

· The Walsh Trust - Employment consultancy service with a focus on new migrants

· New Zealand Ethnic Social Services – Budget service (Korean)

· Asian Health Network

· The Whiteboard Project – Capacity building, training and seminars

Consideration

Local board views and implications

28. The Kaipatiki Local Board has indicated its support for the transfer of the commercial tenancy to the community portfolio.

29. The necessary budget has been identified and set aside to facilitate this transfer and it now seems an opportune time to progress this matter.

30. If the local board chooses not to advertise the property seeking expressions of interest and wishes to offer a community lease to North Shore Community Health Network the following terms and conditions are recommended;

31. That the Kaipatiki Local Board:

a) approves the surrender of the existing lease held by North Shore Community Health Voice Incorporated (Raeburn House) for the office on the western wing of the first floor of the Norman King Building effective from 31 December 2014

b) grant a new lease of the entire first floor premises at the Norman King Building to North Shore Community Health Voice Incorporated on the following terms and conditions;

i. Term – five years with one right of renewal for five years from 1 January 2015

ii. Rent - $1.00 per annum plus GST

iii. Operational charge $25/m² per annum plus GST

iv. All other terms and conditions in accordance with Auckland Council Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012.

Māori impact statement

32. There are no significant changes or impacts for Maori associated with the recommendations in this report.

Implementation

33. The recommendations within this report do not trigger the Auckland Council Significance Policy.

34. All costs involved in the preparation of the lease document will be borne by Auckland Council.

35. The Kaipatiki Local Board has confirmed that budget is available to cover all costs associated with the transfer of the space from the commercial lease portfolio to the community lease portfolio.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Attachment A Norman King Building, Norman King Square, Northcote.	57
b View	Attachment B Tenancies, Norman King Building, Northcote	59
c View	Attachment C Birkenhead Northcote Community Board Resolution 16/6/2009	61
d View	Attachment D Kaipatiki Local Board Resolutions	63

Signatories

Authors

Maureen Buchanan - Community Lease Advisor North

Authorisers

Graham Bodman - Manager - Community Development, Arts and Culture

Eric Perry - Relationship Manager

Kaipātiki Local Board

12 November 2014

Auckland Transport Update on Issues Raised in October 2014 for the Kaipātiki Local Board

File No.: CP2014/25218

Purpose

1. This report provides an update on transport related issues raised by local board members during October 2014. It also includes general information about matters of interest to the local board and Attachment ‘A’ the Schedule of Issues raised in October.

Recommendation/s

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) receive the Auckland Transport Update on Issues Raised in October 2014 for Kaipātiki Local Board report.

b) resolve on AT Local Board Capital Fund projects they wish to see progressed as well as the projects they recommend do not proceed.

Comments

2. At the September Kaipātiki Local Board meeting the Board resolved (KT/2014/182):

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) receive the Auckland Transport Quarterly Update to Local Boards report.

b) request confirmation that ferry routes are included in the $16 day pass to support local economic development.

c) seek urgent reconsideration for additional AT HOP outlets in Kaipātiki to assist the 49% of local residents, currently not using HOP cards, to take advantage of the 20% discount.

d) note that online top ups requires access to a credit card which excludes many Kaipātiki residents, particularly young people who are more dependent on public transport.

3. AT HOP Day Pass – The AT HOP Day Pass can be used only on the following public transport services:

· All Auckland trains.

· Bus services operated by Birkenhead Transport, GO WEST, Howick & Eastern Buses, LINK, Metrolink, North Star, Ritchies Transport, Urban Express, Waiheke Bus Company, Waka Pacific and 380 Airporter / Tranzit.

· Ferry services operated by Fullers: Bayswater, Birkenhead, Devonport, Northcote Point and Stanley Bay.

4. The AT HOP Daily Pass only includes inner harbour services. Birkenhead is included in this pass. The distance which the Birkenhead service covers is only 4.2kms. The Beach Haven service covers a significantly greater distance of 12kms, is not considered inner harbour and is considered to more closely aligned to the Hobsonville and West Harbour services.
Information on the AT HOP Day Passes is available on our website at:
https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/at-hop-card/at-hop-card-concessions/at-hop-day-pass.

5. AT HOP Outlets - Auckland Transport has reviewed the locations of our AT HOP retail outlets. We have added some additional retailers across Auckland, growing the AT HOP retail network from 49 locations to 68. Two additional AT HOP retail outlets have been provided for the Kaipātiki area and there are now 6 AT HOP retailers in the Kaipātiki area:

· Mitchells Paper Power 3 Pearn Crescent, Northcote.

· Birkenhead Lotto Plus 43 Birkenhead Ave, Birkenhead.

· Beach Haven Stationers 12 - 14 Sunnyhaven Ave, Beach Haven.

· Coronation Superette 6 Coronation Road, Glenfield.

· Civic Video Glenfield 444 Glenfield Road, Glenfield.

· Northcote Pop Inn Dairy 173 Queen Street, Northcote Point.

6. These retailers are in addition to the other options which customers have to top up their AT HOP card, including one off top ups online or an auto top up from a bank account or credit card or debit card. Customers are also able to top up at Top-up Machines on the Northern Busway.

7. We will continue to monitor AT HOP usage in the area and review where our retailers are located, and how customers are being serviced.

8. AT HOP Card usage in the Kaipātiki Local Board area - usage of the AT HOP card in theKaipātiki area has increased. As of August /September AT HOP Card uptake in Kaipātiki is showing at at least 60%.

9. On line top up bank account requirements - customers who have registered their AT HOP Cards are not restricted to only topping up from a credit card account. They may set up the auto top up to access funds from a debit card or from a bank account.

Local Board Auckland Transport Capital Fund Projects

10. At the local board meeting in June 2014, the board resolved (KT/2014/113):

That the Kaipātiki Local Board approve the following projects for scoping by Auckland Transport utilising the Local Board Transport Capital Fund, noting that the following list is not in priority order.

· Road marking, parking and planting at Moore Street in conjunction with the Parks department which has plans to improve the entrance to Monarch Park at this location.

· Methods to slow traffic and improve pedestrian and cycle amenity at Queen Street, Northcote (Jean Sampson Reserve).

· Painted traffic medians at the Rangatira Road shops.

· Area improvements at the Birkdale Road shops.

· Improved markings and curb build out at Hinemoa Street (improvements for pedestrians and cyclists).

· Landscaping/streetscape improvements to slow traffic and improve pedestrian amenity at Queen Street/Bartley Terrace (featuring the concrete road).

11. The board also resolved that they ‘Note that all of these projects will be brought back to the board with estimated costs for further board decision to proceed and that any scoping work carried out should prioritise walking and cycling connectivity wherever appropriate for each individual project’.

12. The assessment on a number of these projects has been completed and a Rough Order of Costs (ROC) provided. A copy of the Kaipātiki Local Board’s List of Projects is attached for information as Attachment B.

13. If the board wish to go ahead with any of these projects a resolution of the board will be required.

Moore Street and Monarch Park Entrance

14. Auckland Transport is aware that Auckland Councils’ Parks Department is proposing a small enhancement of the Monarch Park entrance at this location. We interpret the intention of the scheme to include combining Auckland Council Park’s Department aims of enhancing the Monarch Park entrance, the shop forecourt/parking area and the bus stop layout. The estimated ROC (including tree pits) is $153,000.

15. Some features included in the ROC include:

· Widening the footpath area to push the angled parking away from the existing kerb line.

· Alternatively a grassed or planted area could replace the widening of footpath.

· Better accommodating the bus stop to ease the bus tracking for its right turn into Tilden Avenue. The bus stop would be better located west of the park entrance to ease this movement.

· Softening of the landscape by creating tree pits and planting trees in them.

Queen Street Treatment in vicinity of Jean Sampson Reserve

16. The proposals in this request have been somewhat overtaken by the Northcote Safe Cycle Routes scheme and it is recommended that the original proposal not be progressed.

17. Following discussions with AT stakeholders of other schemes in the area, we have asked that the aims of the Kaipātiki Local Board’s suggestions be assessed for consideration in the design for the Northcote Safe Cycle Routes scheme which was consulted on during July and August 2014.

18. The local board will be informed of issues that influence the main project as the scheme progresses.

Queen Street/Bartley Terrace

19. This proposal has also been somewhat overtaken by the Northcote Safe Cycle Routes scheme and it is recommended that the original proposal also not be progressed.

20. Following discussions with stakeholders of other schemes in the area, we have asked that the aims of the Kaipātiki Local Board’s suggestions be assessed for influencing the design for the Northcote Safe Cycle Routes scheme which was consulted on during July and August 2014.

21. The local board will be informed of issues that influence the main project as the scheme progresses.

Painted Medians Rangatira Road Shops

22. Our initial assessment finds that installing two refuges in the vicinity of the shops is feasible.

· The locations of each refuge are to be established by detailed survey so as to minimise the impact on vehicles turning to and from properties.

· The refuge that is proposed for approximately outside of 244/225 Rangatira Road, will provide the most benefit, because of the protection it offers to pedestrians who currently cross at this location. The lead-in road markings that will need to precede the refuges from beyond the blind crest to the south of the shops will deter speeding, and alert drivers to a road feature ahead. The proposal will also improve the safety for vehicles turning into and out of parking for the shops.

23. A ROC of $60,000 is estimated for installing the two refuges. This excludes any costs for utility works that may be uncovered during detailed investigation. The cost also assumes that street lighting standards are adequate to support the new refuges.

Birkdale Road Shops

24. AT interprets the aims of the scheme to include traffic speed and safety management, pedestrian crossing safety and shop forecourt/parking area enhancement. The estimated ROC is up to $210,000. Features included in the ROC include:

· Implementing a new surface to the parking area with an enhanced edge to the traffic lane to emphasise the activity area.

· Improving the visibility and safety of the pedestrian refuge crossing and access area.

25. Should the board wish to take a scheme forward, it is suggested that the board considers approving a sum of $7,000 to enable a concept design, which will contribute to refining the final extent of the scheme and more accurate costing.

Hinemoa Street Proposals

26. Auckland Transport Traffic Operations Division are aware of the board’s previous allocation of funding of pedestrian amenity and safety improvements, in conjunction with the City Transformation team’s work in Birkenhead Town Centre. That project also traffic calms the town centre streets.

27. Having assessed the Board’s proposals for Hinemoa Street, it is considered that for the present, modifications on Hinemoa should be held in abeyance until a wider strategy has been agreed for the route. Therefore it is recommended that the proposals not be progressed at this stage.

28. Aims to be resolved include: any wider aspirations for the Glade Place, Rugby Road and Brassey Road section of Hinemoa Street and the street’s function as part of the bus and general traffic route to and from Birkenhead Wharf. In the future Hinemoa Street will also need to serve as a connector route to the wharf within the Auckland Cycle Network which will have implications for any reallocation of available road width.

29. At this stage, therefore, while the aims of the board’s proposals are appreciated, it is considered preferable to maintain the existing road layout until a wider strategy has been agreed for Hinemoa Street, which will include bus, cycle and general traffic access to the Birkenhead Wharf and place-making intention.

30. At the local board meeting on 12 February 2014 the board resolved (KT/2014/4) to ask officers to investigate issues on Park Hill, Berne Place and Roseberry Ave, including intersection configuration and traffic behaviour.

31. Following investigation, two levels of schemes have been identified as being possible.

32. Park Hill/Berne Place only - The immediate request is for speed reduction at the lower part of Park Hill/Berne Place. If this is appropriate as a short section within the whole Park Hill-Roseberry route then a small scale localised scheme could be envisaged. It would, however, require extending slightly along the section of road up the hills on either side (Park Hill and Roseberry) in order to provide speed reduction over a meaningful distance. Such schemes are required for road safety reasons to appear to drivers as coherent, rather than appear as isolated features. A small scale localised scheme therefore could probably involve up to three speed humps and a table. A ROC for a small scale scheme of humps/tables, including contingencies, is estimated up to $110,000.

33. Park Hill Road/Roseberry Ave route - Should a consistent scheme be required over the whole route, then a larger scheme of 8-10 humps and tables may be required. On site experience from a limited number of visits, together with initial speed survey data, does not indicate excessive speeding over the whole route and therefore this level of scheme may not be required. A ROC costs for a whole route scheme is estimated up to $180,000.

34. A consultation outcome in support of the installation of speed humps/table would be required before a speed cushion scheme could be implemented.

35. These Rough Order of Costs do not include any allowance for service relocations or any street lighting upgrading that may be required as identified during detailed design.

36. Should the Board wish to take a scheme forward, It is suggested the board consider approving a sum of $10,000 to enable a refining of the extent of the scheme required and more accurate costing.

Sylvan Ave Traffic Calming Project

37. Following the board’s request that this be investigated, a Driver Speed feedback sign has been installed on Exmouth Road, the longer uninterrupted section of the route to Onewa Road, and its effect are being monitored. Speed surveys show a high rate of drivers exceeding the posted speed limit on Sylvan Avenue.

38. In the meantime, three options have been identified for Sylvan Avenue, which all install speed reducing devices at the five approximate locations identified on the board’s plans.

Speed cushions

· A set of three raised areas across the width of the road which require smaller vehicles to slow to pass over them.

· The important bus route which makes use of Sylvan Avenue to access the city centre would be better served by a series of speed cushions for reducing the speeds of all traffic, while avoiding the high disadvantages to bus service users that effective speed humps cause.

· Some drivers can take time to become accustomed to negotiating cushions.

Speed humps

· These are the sinusoidal humps that are often seen around the city.

· These are not supported by Passenger Transport where they affect bus routes such as Sylvan Avenue, because of the localised severe slowing of buses and the nuisance to bus passengers.

Speed tables

· These are wider than speed humps, with a gentler approach and departure ramps.

· These are preferred by Passenger Transport but can result in less reduction in the speed of general traffic.

39. A consultation outcome in support of the installation of cushions would be required before a speed cushion scheme could be implemented.

40. A Rough Order of Costs for the five locations for cushions, humps or tables is estimated at $70,000 – $95,000 depending on the option selected, not including any allowance for service relocations that may be uncovered by detailed design.

41. At the 11 June 2014 Kaipātiki Local Board meeting the board resolved (KT/2014/113) a number of separated cycleway and walkway connections from Glenfield to Birkenhead including the following sections: the board also resolved on investigation of:

inclusion of a cycleway at Raleigh Road, Northcote as part of future planned major rehabilitation work.

· Walking and cycleway along the Northern Motorway from Northcote Road to Wairau road to open alternative access to the Wairau Valley Business Area.

Raleigh Road

42. A shared path on Raleigh Roadis considered to be the most useful form for this section of the Auckland Cycle Network and both sides of the road have been investigated as two broad options appear appropriate for Raleigh Road. Issues considered for this scheme option include:

· It will complement the Northcote Safe Routes scheme, connecting between Lake Road and Ocean View Road.

· A shared path will cater well for less skilled and less confident cyclists, providing continuity of standards with the Northcote Safe Routes scheme. This will in turn enable cycle access to local schools and the Northcote shopping centre on Lake Road.

· Berm width appears to adequately support a shared path.

43. The north side is approximately 3m wide. A Rough Order of Cost for a shared path on this side of Raleigh Road is estimated at $550,000. With consideration given to:

· Numerous small pohutukawa trees to be removed (Consenting required).

· Some 13 subsidiary power poles to be moved to provide a continuous shared path width.

· The frequency of driveways is a concern that will need careful design attention. The 3m width does not provide any “shy space” close to drive ways that are shielded by high fences.

· Three bus stops need attention.

· Crossing points are to be designed for one side road and a crossing of Ocean View Road (a crossing of Lake Road will be provided by the Northcote safe Routes scheme).

44. The south side is approximately 6m wide. A Rough Order Cost for a shared path on this side of Raleigh Road is estimated at $300,000-800,000 depending on the need to move power poles. With consideration given to:

· The location of the numerous medium height pohutukawa trees could avoid having to remove them.

· Some 23 power/street light poles may require relocating. If this is the case, then cost can be a concern. A cost effective way of dealing with the power poles would be to coincide with any proposed undergrounding by Vector. Alternatively the approximately 3m width available between property boundaries and power poles could allow for a shared path with very localised narrowing. This would put the shared path close to property boundaries and risk issues with emerging vehicles.

· Two on street local transformers may need to be dealt with.

· Three bus stops will be less of a concern than on the north side because of the available width.

· Crossing of two side roads and a crossing refuge on Pupuke Road will need to be addressed (a crossing of Lake Road will be provided by the Northcote safe Routes scheme.) The narrower berm width on the inside of the Raleigh/Ocean View/Pupuke Roads intersection will require a slight modification to the radius, and a safety review.

· Implementation of the Northcote Safe Cycle Route scheme provides the opportunity for a network of supporting local connecting routes to be created, that will provide permeability into and through local areas.

· The adequate width of Raleigh Road leaves much room on road for confident cyclists. The road is wide which provides for on road parking.

· The Road Corridor Maintenance team confirms that there are no proposed works for Raleigh Road in the current financial year, except for a very localised improvement at the intersection of Raleigh Road and Ocean View Road. This means that no contributory maintenance funding would be available.

45. The rough order of costs for any cycle lane in Raleigh Road would also require verification of utility implications (especially for power pole relocations), and more detailed investigation of the path width and crossing requirements at the Raleigh Road/Ocean View Road and Pupuke Road intersection (depending on the north or south side path alignment).

46. There is a level of uncertainty about the scheme which would best suit the cycle network and the budget available. It is therefore suggested that the board considers approving a sum of $5,000 to enable the preparation of a concept plan, which will contribute to refining the final extent of the scheme and providing more accurate costing.

Walkway Cycleway Northern Motorway

47. It is widely recognised that the SH1/Wairau Road corridor presents difficulties for cyclists. The previous North Shore City Council, and NZTA have been considering the possibility of cycle routes along either side of the motorway over many years.

48. At present Auckland Transport is working to persuade NZTA to include a cycle route along the western side of SH1 motorway within their Northern Corridor Initiative upgrade. This NZTA project focuses on the Constellation Drive to Greville Road Interchange section of SH1 within which we are seeking to ensure adequate provision for cycling.

49. Constructing cycle routes alongside motorways is a costly exercise. A high level cost for the Northcote to Wairau Road section has been estimated at $2.6m. In addition there are severe resource consent/approval processes to consider which could take considerable time to work through.

50. NZTA has included the construction of a cycle path alongside the SH1 Northern Motorway, between Esmonde Road and Constellation Drive, programmed for 2019/20. This will include the section proposed by the board between Northcote Road and Wairau Road.

Birkenhead Avenue/Glenfield Road

51. General comments - The route forms an important Connector within the Auckland Cycle Network and will be an important link on North Shore west of the motorway. The link connects large residential areas to both Glenfield and Birkenhead. The route is relatively flat over most of its length and if improved could enable otherwise deterred cyclists to venture onto the network.

52. There are no programmed Road Corridor Maintenance works in this corridor in the current financial year that the Local Board could contribute towards, to implement cycle links.

53. Birkenhead Avenue – Onewa Road to Pupuke Road. For less confident cyclists, a shared path could be provided on the east side of Birkenhead Avenue. Close attention to detailed design will be needed for the southernmost 80m of this path.

54. A ROC for this scheme is estimated at $580,000 not including any utility, property issues or substantial civil engineering works that become apparent during investigation and design work.

55. For more skilled and confident, on-road cyclists, on-road buffered cycle lanes are considered suitable. Special design attention will be required for the major intersections. A ROC for implementing cycle lanes as part of an overall scheme is estimated as an additional $150,000 to $200,000 not including any special provision at the intersections.

56. A successful outcome to consultation on the removal of on-street parking would also be required, for much of the 730 metres of this road section.

57. Glenfield Road – Pupuke Road to Eskdale Road. Due to the complexities of corridor width, land availability, property uncertainties, parking removal, storm water and civil engineering challenges, a cost for improving the level of service for cyclists in this section of Glenfield Road, is expected to exceed $1m.

58. Glenfield Road – Eskdale Road to Coronation Road. Similarly, the complexities of dealing with corridor width, land availability, property uncertainties, parking removal, storm water and civil engineering challenges for improving the level of service for cyclists in this section of Glenfield Road is anticipated to exceed $1m.

59. Should the board wish to take a scheme forward, It is suggested that the Board considers

· Onewa to Pupuke. Approving a sum of $5,000 to enable more accurate understanding and costing of the scheme.

· Pupuke to Eskdale to Coronation. Approving a sum of $40,000 to enable more accurate understanding and costing of the scheme.

Wairau Valley

60. The absence of safe and convenient cycle routes through the Wairau Valley has long been recognised as being a major deterrent to cycle transport. A major corridor upgrade project is intended for Wairau Road, that will address the needs for all transport modes, but this is not yet on a future programme.

61. In the short term, smaller scale schemes can assist in contributing to the evolving safe, functional and connected walking and cycle network through the area (refer to the attached plan C). This network will overcome a severe deterrence to cycling in this area, providing access to the employment areas of Wairau Valley, Wairau Park, access to local schools and a safer route through the valley than currently exists. This includes at present:

· A widened shared path has been extended on the eastern side of Wairau Road as part of the Forest Hill Road intersection improvements, to north of Porana Road.

· Separately a cycleway is proposed on Tristram Avenue between Beacroft Road and Wairau Road, and is anticipating funding for later in the 2014-5 financial year.

· Improvements to cycle access northwards from the Wairau Road-Tristram Avenue signalled junction can form a future stage.

62. To contribute to the evolving network, the local board could fund a proposal to connect the existing shared path from Forrest Hill Road, to the proposed Tristram Avenue shared path.

63. This would consist of an off road shared path running along to Curry’s Lane, then use of on road along Curry’s Lane with improved street lighting installed, and then off road to join onto the new proposed cycleway on Tristram Ave. A ROC of $300,000 is estimated for this scheme.

64. By comparison, a ROC for shared path on Wairau Road between Porana Road and Target Road is expected to cost in excess of $900,000. The traffic operation and safety risk of numbers of cyclists on a shared path, across the many commercial accesses along this busy arterial, will need to be overcome.

Glenfield Street Scape Planting

65. The board has previously resolved on new planting in the carpark located at 450 Glenfield Road utilising the remaingin funding allocated to 450 Glenfield Road from the Local Board Auckland Transport Capital Fund. During the discussions with Parks Department on the streetscape planting for Bentley Ave and the property at 450 Glenfield Road, it became apparent that the planting was also below standard in the main street of Glenfield Road in the same vicinity. The parks department has therefore provided a cost to carry out this additional planting at $28,554. As the previous resolution was specific to the site at 450 Glenfield Road the Board would need to resolve if they wish to have the additional planting undertaken at the same time as the other projects, within the total budget already allocated.

Auckland Transport News

Chip Seal Programme

66. Auckland Transport is about to embark on its annual road resealing programme. Wherever possible chip seal will be used as it provides a cost effective and good durable road surface, which is well suited to Auckland’s flexible road pavements.

67. Resealing the road surface waterproofs the surface and improves the road skid resistance to ensure that the roads stay in good condition. Regular maintenance of the roads means that they do not need to be totally reconstructed. Generally the road surface will last between 10 to 15 years.

68. In general a typical reseal would follow this timeline:

Some weeks prior to reseal;

· Fix any road failures in the street – Localised road pavement repairs

A few days prior to reseal;

· Letter drop informing residents of the road reseal

Day of reseal;

· Set up traffic management

· Sweep road for debris

· Chip seal applied

· Roll chip into road surface

Within a few days of reseal;

· Sweep excess chip off the road

· Reinstatement of road marking

A week or so after reseal;

· Road surface checked

· Further sweeping to pick up any excess loose chip

· Remove traffic management

3 – 4 weeks after reseal

· Additional sweeping if required, to remove any remaining loose chip.

69. The Contractor responds to any Call Centre service requests relating to the chip sealing during the course of the work.

Spring into cycling – get on your bike

70. Spring is in the air and Auckland Transport is encouraging us all to ‘get going by bike’.

71. Now the warmer weather is here, Auckland Transport is encouraging people to get out the bikes, check they’re in good working order and make use of Auckland’s cycleways.

72. Cycling is good for your body, your mind, your wallet and the environment. The Spring Cycle Programme offers cycle skills training for adults, including on-road safety skills and bike maintenance advice. Event opportunities for families and guided rides to community events and activities such as Bike the Bridge, Halloween themed rides or enjoy a guided ride to Sculpture on the Shore.

73. The Auckland Spring Cycle programme promotes cycling for pleasure, leisure, health and fitness by encouraging non-cyclists to learn to ride, help less confident cyclists brush up on their road safety skills and to show off Auckland’s evolving cycle network.

74. There are now more than 290km of cycleways throughout the Auckland region offering a range of cycling options for people on bikes, and since 2010 there has been a 30% increase in trips on key routes throughout the Auckland metropolitan area.

75. Further improvements planned to cycling infrastructure will make it easier and safer to ‘go by bike’. Auckland Transport community programmes are designed to support cycling as a viable and enjoyable transport option.

Unformed Legal Roads – Operational Policy

76. An operational policy on how Auckland Transport will manage unformed legal roads is being developed.

77. This will set out consistent guidelines for dealing with common questions that arise. Input has been sought from a range of stakeholder groups including Federated Farmers, the Walking Access Commission, Fish and Game NZ and various community and recreational user groups for horses, mountain bikes, and 4 wheel drive vehicles. Local boards are also being asked for input.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

78. This report is for the local board’s information.

Māori impact statement

79. No specific issues with regard to the Maori Impact Statement are triggered by this report.

Implementation

80. There are no implementation issues.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Kaipatiki Issues Raised by Board Members During October 2014	77
b View	Kaipātiki Local Board’s List of Projects	87
c View	Waiurau Valley potential cycle connections	91

Signatories

Authors	Marilyn Nicholls, Elected Member Relationship Manager, Auckland Transport
Authorisers	Jonathan Anyon, Elected Member Relationship Team Manager, Auckland Transport

Kaipātiki Local Board

12 November 2014

Auckland Transport Quarterly Update to Local Boards

File No.: CP2014/25245

Purpose

1. The purpose of this report is to inform local boards about progress on activities undertaken by Auckland Transport in the three months July – September 2014 and the planned activities anticipated to be undertaken in the three months October – December 2014.

2. Attachments include:

· A – Auckland Transport activities

· B – Travelwise Schools activities

· C – Decisions of the Traffic Control Committee

· D – Report against local board advocacy issues

· E – Report on the status of the local board’s projects under the Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF).

Recommendation/s

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) receive the Auckland Transport Quarterly Update to Local Boards report.

Comments

Significant activities during the period under review

Key Agency Initiatives

East West Connections

3. Auckland Transport (AT) and the NZ Transport Agency have completed an indicative business case that identified a short list of options to address the transport issues in the Onehunga-Penrose area. Improvements were also identified along the proposed bus route between Mangere, Otahuhu and Sylvia Park.

4. The assessment process to narrow down potential options included the outcomes of the July/August engagement as well as assessing factors such as transport performance; consentability; constructability; natural environment; public health and cultural heritage. The short list contains a range of low to high investment options for further investigation.

5. Public consultation on these short listed options commenced in October. This included public open days and workshops.

PT Development

Otahuhu Interchange

6. A civil enabling works package has gone to market to enable construction activities in December to capitalise on the scheduled Christmas Block of Line in the rail corridor.

7. The main works package is scheduled to go to market mid-December, with tenders closing end of January and award end of February 2015. Target completion for the interchange is end of September 2015. A public open day was held in Otahuhu Town Hall, attended by 225 people including local board members; feedback was very positive. Hui with local mana whenua are on-going with six having been completed to date.

City Rail Link

8. Registrations of Interest (ROI) by the construction industry for the enabling works design work for the downtown section of the City Rail Link (from Britomart through Queen, Customs and Albert Streets to Wyndham Street) were received and evaluated during August.

9. Following an evaluation process, Request for Proposal (RFP) documentation for two enabling works contract packages were released to the ROI respondents in late August. A series of interface meetings are scheduled with respondents prior to receipt of proposals in November whereby a tender evaluation will be undertaken to procure the preferred tenderer. A project update was provided to manu whenua groups (seven iwi represented) mainly focussing on stormwater mitigation issues.

Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) Procurement

10. There are now 27 units in New Zealand with 17 units in service. Manukau peak services began mid September. EMU testing on the Western line to Swanson will begin on Monday 29 September. Manufacture and delivery is on programme.

PT Operations

Bus Improvements

11. An on-going programme of bus timetable adjustments, in partnership with AT service providers, continued this year to ensure published timetables more closely reflect actual bus running times. This is driving a significant improvement in bus service reliability, particularly for North Star, Go West, Waka Pacific and Metrolink Outer with implementation scheduled across the entire bus network by September 2014.

12. On-time performance across the entire bus network rose to 91.45% for September and has remained over 90% during the quarter.

13. NZ Bus operated 91.7% of its bus services on time, which is a 10% increase on the previous 12 months. Go West showed the largest improvement with an 11% increase in punctuality since December. On-time performance improved by 5% after delivering a new customer value proposition of services from 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week on 3 August in the west (Green Bay/Titirangi).

14. On time performance for the Northern Express Service also continued to operate at a very high level during August, delivering 98.7%, and with most of September operating at 99.4%.

Rail Improvements

15. Rail patronage for the 12 months to September 2014 was more than 11.8 million; an increase of 27% on the previous year and a new record for heavy rail in the Auckland region. Rail patronage for the first quarter 2014 was 15% above the same period in 2013.

16. Rail service punctuality was stable at 87.7% for the 12 months to September 2014; an improvement from 86.3% on the previous year. This was achieved through a period of operational change to new systems following the introduction of EMUs that have presented some challenges. For the month of August 2014, punctuality was 90.5% - the first month for at least ten years that performance exceeded 90% outside holiday periods .

17. Rail station security was upgraded from May 2014 and a strategic review of rail safety, security and fare enforcement is underway.

Road Design and Development

Dominion Road

18. Construction on the cycle routes is proceeding with the project being close to 50% complete. Tenders for the main Dominion Road works have closed and evaluation is underway. The project has been expanded at the request of Watercare to include water main replacement in the three village centres.

Albany Highway

19. The contract for construction has been awarded to Fulton Hogan. Work will commence on site in November. The construction is expected to be completed early in 2017.

20. An open day will be held in October to give the local community the opportunity to meet the construction team and ask any questions they may have about the project before works begin. A communications and stakeholder management plan will be in place for the duration of the construction period.

Murphys Road

21. Construction of Flat Bush School Road and Murphys Road intersection upgrade is progressing and on track for completion by mid-December 2014. Design of the Murphys Road upgrade between Flat Bush School Road and Ormiston Road is on-going and programmed to finish by the end of December 2014.

AMETI

22. Construction of the new Te Horeta Road at Panmure is near complete. Pavement works and line marking were completed during the period and the final integration testing of tunnel systems is in progress. The road is scheduled to open on 2 November when critical activities on Mt Wellington Highway and at the adjacent NCI site are complete.

23. The new William Harvey Bridge footbridge is now fully operational. The upgrade of Van Damme’s Lagoon, NCI and Watercare works are ongoing.

24. Planning and design meetings were held to update Pakuranga town centre stakeholders on the design work for Pakuranga bus station and Reeves Road flyover. Feedback will assist to further develop the design.

Cycle Initiatives

25. The construction of Stage 1 (Churchill Street to Quay Street via Mahuhu Crescent and Tapora Street) was completed ahead of schedule and formally opened by the Prime Minister and the Mayor. A short safety video for cyclists has been produced (http://youtu.be/fNlu7xaS2KA). Within a week it had been viewed more than 2,700 times on YouTube.

26. A survey to benchmark the number of cyclists is about to start and will be used to monitor usage. The design of Stage 2 that will make the link through to Britomart Place is progressing with the start of construction planned for early 2015.

27. A number of other cycle schemes are under construction including Portage Road (New Lynn), Swanson Rail Path and St George Street (Papatoetoe). Meanwhile the Spring Cycling Programme has commenced with a series of cycle training and safety events being held throughout the region.

Services

Public Transport ‘Give it a Go’ Scheme

28. Between Late May and the end of September AT has delivered the scheme through 18 businesses and personalised journey planning projects. Through the scheme, individuals have two weeks of free commute travel.

29. Results indicate that 6 weeks after the start of the trial 52% are continuing to use public transport and after 8 weeks there is only a slight drop to 41%.

30. An evaluation survey is also undertaken as this allows participants to provide feedback on the service. There has been positive feedback, as shown in the quotes below:

· “Great idea – certainly surprised me how great public transport has become” ASB workplace survey

· “I had never taken public transport before the trial and now find that travelling by train is a lot less stressful than by road… …and thank you for offering the trial pass, you now have a passenger for life.” Health Alliance workplace survey

· “Using public transport was a lot better than I had expected. More trials like this should be done to convince others.” Sovereign workplace survey

Commute Businesses

31. Auckland Council senior management have approved the Auckland Council Travel Plan. A more detailed Action Plan is being co-developed for presentation to the Chief Planning Officer in early November for approval to proceed.

32. Commute awards recognised businesses achieving success in travel planning. The award winners have been promoted in business publications including Auckland Today. The award winners were:

· Progress on Travel Plan – AECOM

· Delivery of Commute Packages – Mahitahi Trust

· Embedding sustainable transport into company practice – MRCagney.

Route Optimisation

33. The 2013/2014 Route Optimisation Programme has been primarily focused around the Auckland city centre, aiming to prioritise and optimise network performance for all modes as appropriate. The programme made use of the detailed Network Operating Plan to translate strategic intent into operational priorities, for the various modes by time of day. Being the city centre, greater emphasis was placed on public transport and pedestrian performance, the latter being particularly noticeable during the day outside of peak periods. As a whole, route optimisation covered approximately 33 km, over 110 intersections.

Variable Message Signs (VMS)

34. Eight variable message signs (VMS) programmed for the 2013/2014 year are now in place.

35. The signs are due for final hand-over to the Auckland Transport Operations Centre (ATOC) during the month of October, and will be available for use for incident management, planned events, multi-modal real time travel time information (including multi-modal travel time where relevant), and any messaging requirements.

Bus route improvements

36. The Operational Planning and Performance Teams have been assisting the Public Transport Operations team to identify and implement quick-win projects to improve the efficiency and reliability of the bus operations. Current projects include:

Route	Project Scope	Progress
Esmonde Road	Widening to extend bus lane	Resolution prepared, awaiting tree removal consent
Khyber Pass Road	Introduction of additional 90m of bus lane	Resolution prepared, awaiting Local Board approval
Khyber Pass Road	Crowhurst intersection bus priority upgrade	Resolution prepared, awaiting Local Board approval
Wellesley Street East	Bus lane pocket	Resolution prepared, awaiting Road Safety Audit sign off
Park Road	Investigation of southbound bus lane	Concept design complete, internal consultation to commerce shortly
Parnell Road	Investigation of bus lane	Concept development with consultants, due imminently

Urban KiwiRAP (International Road Assessment Programme) Update

37. A specialist engineering team completed vehicle-mounted video-mapping of 2,000 kilometres of the Auckland local road network in September as part of the Safer Journeys Urban KiwiRAP demonstration project. This project is a world first and the video footage will be analysed to establish road safety star ratings for the Auckland urban local road network that will be used to prioritise improvements on high-risk parts of the network.

Road Corridor Delivery

38. Overall operating expenditure is running ahead of budget due to the effects of the major storm event which struck Great Barrier Island in June, higher electricity costs and an increased spend on unsealed road maintenance.

39. Renewal expenditure is behind forecast but good progress has been made in making preparations for the upcoming construction season. The actual spend is consistent with the reduced level of funding now available for renewals.

Key Renewals

40. Construction of the Beach Road Cycleway was delivered by the Road Corridor Group and completed on time for the opening by the Prime Minister in August.

41. The design of the new box culvert is underway on Great Barrier Road with the intention of commencing physical works later this year. The existing steel plate was washed away in the storm event on 10 June 2014 and there is a temporary stream crossing in place until the works can be completed.

42. Chipsealing commenced in Franklin in August using emulsion instead of cut-back bitumen. Emulsion can be sprayed in cooler weather, provides improved chip wetting and adhesion and is safer and more environmentally friendly than hot bitumen.

43. Repairs to the Maraetai Beach seawall were also completed in August. The seawall had been undermined by several major storms over the June/July period.

44. Streetlight improvements have been carried out on East Tamaki Road and on the cycle routes in the Dominion Road Corridor. The street lights in these cycle routes, located immediately to the East and West of Dominion Road, have been upgraded with LED Luminaires to improve safety.

Road Corridor Access

Corridor Access Request (CAR) Applications

45. There were 4,039 CAR applications approved during the first quarter, representing a 4.4% increase over the number of 3868 for the same period last year.

46. Monthly incremental increases of around 8% have been experienced since July with the major share of the increases being for minor works i.e. works in the footpath and berm area only.

Ultra-Fast Broadband Rollout

47. Overall forecast build starts have fallen below forecasts and the likelihood of a back ended build programme for the year has increased. Up to 30 cabinet areas appear to be at risk.

48. Currently for Year 4, 88 cabinet areas are in build, 43 are completed and 22 have moved into warranty.

Watercare Hunua 4 Bulk Watermain

49. As at the end of September 2014, 12.6 km of pipe has been laid at an average weekly rate of 48 metres and Watercare advise it is on target.

Watercare Pakuranga Rising Water Main

50. Work commenced in January on the construction of a new 0.9 metre diameter sanitary sewer rising main in the carriageway of Pakuranga Road and Lagoon Drive in the vicinity of the Panmure Bridge.

51. Progress at either end of the project site (Lagoon Drive and Pakuranga Road east of the Panmure Bridge) has been good and the positive temporary traffic management measures employed have enabled traffic to continue with only minimal delays.

Overweight Permits

52. There were 198 overweight permit applications processed in September. Of the 198 permit applications, 155 (78.3%) were processed within the target times and all applications were processed by the nominated travel start date.

53. The target timeframes for processing overweight permit applications are 3 days for KPI 2, single trip, multi travel and continuous renewal permits and 5 working days for KPI 3 continuous and area permits.

Parking and Enforcement

Parking machine replacement

54. The existing 922 Pay and Display machines installed in the greater Auckland area have reached their end of life and are due for replacement. Parking Services have conducted an on-going investigation into the developing technology associated with on-street parking. A paper has recently been prepared requesting the funding necessary for a technology upgrade and is planned to be presented to the AT Board at its November meeting.

55. The proposed new system incorporates the ‘pay by space’ mode with in-road sensors for each parking spot. Parking availability will be published on the internet. Once a parking space is occupied payment will be made at a nearby payment machine that will accept HOP cards, credit cards, text-a-park and cash. Smartphone payments will also be available with text reminders being sent when the time limit is due to expire. Additional topping up for extending parking will be available by either smartphone or at any other parking payment machine.

56. Enforcement of expired parking spaces will be managed from Parking Officers PDAs that will be able to communicate to a central system holding data on the parking status of the city’s precincts. Improved management information and remote tariff adjustments will be managed from the centralised system.

Auckland parking discussion document

57. There was significant interest in the parking discussion document, with AT receiving over 6,000 submissions. The submissions are still being analysed and themes collated. The next step will be to draw up a region-wide parking policy which will consider information from those submissions.

58. A report on key themes and possible policy responses is expected to be reported back to the AT Board in October. The detail of individual schemes will follow.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Schedule of activities undertaken for the first quarter (2014/15) ending 30 September 2014 and forward works programme for the second quarter (2014/15) ending 31 December 2014	99
b View	Travelwise Schools activities broken down by Local Board	115
c View	Traffic Control Committee Decisions	117
d View	Local Board Advocacy Report	119
e View	Local Board Transport Capital Fund Report	121

Signatories

Authors	Various Auckland Transport authors
Authorisers	Jonathan Anyon, Elected Member Relationship Team Manager

Kaipātiki Local Board

12 November 2014

Council Controlled Organisation Review, Progress Report to Local Boards

File No.: CP2014/24044

Purpose

1. To inform local boards about key aspects of the current review of council controlled organisations (CCOs) and seek local board feedback, in particular on matters of interest to local boards.

Executive summary

2. This report informs local boards on a number of matters relating to the CCO review. These include:

· The key steps undertaken in the CCO review so far

· CCO configuration options that have been considered but are not being progressed

· CCO configuration options that are still under consideration

· other aspects of the CCO review of interest to local boards including the Accountability Framework workstream; and the Communication, Collaboration and Consultation workstream

· next steps in the CCO review.

3. This report seeks feedback from local boards, in particular about an option to increase activities in support of the council’s transformational shift of radically improving the quality of urban living. The council is considering a new vehicle that could act as a single outward facing voice in the development of the Auckland region, with greater economies of scale, enhanced commerciality and the ability to partner with others. The report seeks feedback on the concept, including comment on the considerations the council should take into account, from a local perspective, when developing the concept.

4. The report notes that local boards have already provided feedback on the following matters which are being considered as part of the CCO review.

· Whether local economic development activities are delivered by Auckland Council or ATEED.

· The roles and interface between local boards and Auckland Transport in relation to place-making functions.

5. In relation to local economic development, the report seeks local board views on ATEED being responsible for local economic development, if a mechanism can be established to hold ATEED accountable to local boards for delivery. The report also notes that the CCO review will not consider the level of funding for local economic development activities, as this is an LTP issue. Current proposals are for LTP funding for local economic development to be provided in the council’s spatial priority areas only.

6. In relation to local boards, Auckland Transport, and place-making responsibilities, any specific proposals would require further consultation with local boards.

7. In relation to the Accountability Framework workstream, the report notes that improved alignment between the statement of intent process and the LTP/Annual Planning process should provide the Budget Committee with greater visibility of the extent to which proposed CCO work programmes deliver on local board priorities.

8. The Accountability Framework workstream also proposes that council requirements of CCOs, in relation to local board engagement, reporting, and consideration of local board priorities will be included in a new Governance Manual that all CCOs are required to comply with.

9. The report also notes that the Communication, Collaboration and Consultation workstream is still being scoped and may require local board engagement at some stage.

Recommendation/s

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) consider the information provided in this report and provide feedback, in particular on matters of interest to local boards as indicated in the report.

Comments

Phase One – Terms of Reference and Current State Assessment

10. The governing body adopted its terms of reference for the CCO review on 27 February 2014. The terms of reference sought to ensure that CCO governance structures were aligned with the council’s strategies and provided an efficient and effective model of service delivery. They also sought to:

· ensure sufficient political oversight and public accountability of CCOs

· provide clarity about roles and responsibilities

· eliminate duplication

· better integrate services and functions and provide a positive interface between the Auckland Council group organisations and Aucklanders.

11. Major structural change for Auckland Transport was identified as being out of scope because Auckland Transport is a statutory entity governed by specific legislative provisions.

12. The review is due to be completed by June 2015. Any proposals for structural change will be consulted on through the draft Long Term Plan (LTP).

13. The terms of reference and CCO review workstreams were informed by two current state assessment reports, one prepared from a council perspective and one from a CCO perspective. Local board input to the current state assessment acknowledged significant improvements in interactions between CCOs and local boards over the three year period, although most local boards were still looking for further improvement in certain areas.

Phase Two – Assessment of Services

14. The first step in phase two of the review was to test the rationale for delivering services through a CCO. Councillors discussed that there were both benefits and challenges from delivering services through arms’ length entities such as CCOs.

15. Benefits include commercial focus, efficiency, flexibility in decision-making, and ability to attract specialist skills. Challenges include that the council is ultimately accountable for ratepayer funding, and achieving integration of CCO activities with other council services or policies. It was also acknowledged that where there is high political, public, iwi, or stakeholder interest in CCO decision-making, this can be challenging for the council.

16. At its meeting of 26 June 2014, the governing body received analysis of the services currently being provided by CCOs, against a set of criteria that sought to test the suitability of those services for delivery through a CCO. Overall the analysis suggested that the services currently being delivered through CCOs were well suited to this mode of delivery. Where challenges were identified it was clear that councillors believe these can be properly managed through a CCO model.

Phase Two – CCO delivery and configuration

17. The second step in phase two of the review was to identify whether any changes to the grouping of activities was likely to deliver better outcomes than the current CCO configuration.

18. Councillors have discussed configuration options at a series of workshops in August and September. The options were informed by one or more of the following drivers for change:

· Opportunities to address issues raised in the current state assessment, particularly removing duplication in skills and clarifying responsibilities

· Opportunities to increase effectiveness and drive results

· Opportunities to improve strategic alignment to Auckland Plan goals

· Opportunities to increase efficiency/reduce costs

· Evidence from international best practice or other desktop research.

19. In relation to the last bullet point a number of pieces of desktop research were undertaken. These included reviews of national/international delivery models and a report by Synergine Group on the linkages between water, wastewater and stormwater.

20. The governing body has not made any decisions on configuration options; however, workshop discussions have indicated that there was insufficient rationale to progress some options.

Options not being progressed

21. Three waters – The Synergine Group report found that there would be some benefits from the integrated management of three waters, such as enhanced catchment management planning. It also found significant linkages between stormwater and other activities of the council group, including land use planning and transport.

22. For this reason, the options of delivering three waters in-house or within a three waters CCO were both considered.

23. In-house delivery of three waters could help better align water and wastewater network planning with council strategy; however, these benefits can be achieved in other ways including through greater collaboration. This option would have some significant disadvantages including very high cost of change and likely reduced commercial focus in relation to water and wastewater delivery.

24. Delivery of three waters within a three waters CCO could have benefits in terms of operational efficiencies and greater commercial focus. However, some of the benefits can be achieved in other ways and there are some major drawbacks. For example, this option could require complex agreements between Auckland Council and Watercare as many stormwater assets are ‘soft infrastructure’ such as overland flow paths. This would have implications for local boards as many of the overland flow paths are in local parks. Another reason that the option was not progressed was that stormwater planning also needs to be highly integrated with land use planning.

25. Regional facilities, tourism and major events. This option would involve transferring ATEED’s responsibility for tourism and major events to RFA. The main drivers for this option were perceived increase in efficiency and effectiveness as both RFA and ATEED have a focus on tourism and major events including conferences. However, RFA’s main objectives are to maximise utilisation of their assets, while ATEED’s focus is on delivering benefit for the Auckland Region. This option has not been progressed as there was a concern that the resulting CCO would have conflicting objectives.

26. Larger Commercial CCO. Consideration was given to other council investments or business interests that could be transferred to ACIL; however, no significant opportunities were identified.

27. Of the options not being progressed, the option involving transferring stormwater to a three waters CCO is likely to be of most interest to local boards for reasons outlined in paragraph 24.

Options still under consideration

28. Enhanced status quo. This option will apply to all CCOs which do not undergo significant structural change. Enhanced status quo will involve reviewing the purpose and high-level objectives of each CCO as set out in the orders of council under which they were established. This does not apply to Watercare or Auckland Transport, which have specific legislative provisions defining their powers and responsibilities. The timeframe for this review will be between February and June 2015.

29. Enhanced status quo will also involve considering a number of one off issues in relation to each CCO. The following are likely to be of most interest to local boards.

· Whether local economic development activities are delivered by Auckland Council or ATEED.

· The roles and interface between local boards and Auckland Transport in relation to place-making functions.

30. A lot of feedback has already been provided by local boards on these matters and will be taken into account as options are developed.

31. A key difficulty with ATEED delivering local economic development activities on behalf of local boards is that local boards have decision-making responsibility for this, yet they do not have a direct governance relationship with ATEED. This report seeks local board views on ATEED being responsible for local economic development, if a mechanism can be established to hold ATEED accountable to local boards for delivery.

32. Note that the CCO review will not address the level of funding for local economic development activities, as this is an LTP decision. Current budget proposals are for the funding for local economic development activities to be provided in the council’s spatial priority areas only.

33. In relation to local boards, Auckland Transport and place-making, the current state assessment from local boards contained a lot of feedback which will be considered. Any specific proposals would need to come back to local boards for further feedback.

34. Under enhanced status quo there are a number of matters to clarify in relation to Waterfront Auckland. These include the role of Waterfront Auckland in its “area of influence”, and whether the Cloud, Shed 10, and the Viaduct Events Centre, are managed by Waterfront Auckland or RFA. These matters may be of interest to some local boards. The timing for addressing these matters has not yet been determined, but further consultation with interested local boards may be required at a later date.

35. Urban Regeneration CCO: Serious consideration is being given to how the council can increase its level of activity to support its transformational shift of radically improving the quality of urban living. This means moving to quality compact urban form that is well connected, appropriately serviced, provides employment opportunities, and provides housing affordability and choice. These are key elements but there are many other considerations including safety, sustainability, and quality urban design.

36. While the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) is an enabler, it will not be sufficient on its own to provide the scale or quality of development required.

37. The council already has a range of vehicles for helping deliver on these objectives. These include:

· Waterfront Auckland, which is responsible for regeneration of Wynyard Quarter

· City Transformations which undertakes master planning and town centre upgrades

· ACPL which has a role in facilitating housing and commercial development in specific locations including Ormiston Town Centre, Yard 37 at Hobsonville, Papatoetoe town centre, Avondale town centre, and Wilsher Village in Henderson

· Tamaki Redevelopment Company, which is jointly owned with central government and council

· Housing Project Office which is charged with implementation of the Housing Action Plan and integrated consenting in Special Housing Areas (SHAs).

38. The council is considering a new vehicle that could act as a single outward facing voice in the development of the Auckland region, with greater economies of scale, enhanced commerciality and the ability to partner with others. This is likely to be a staged process with the first steps undertaken as part of the CCO review. Options are still being refined but could include expanding the role of ACPL, bringing together the skills and expertise from Waterfront Auckland and ACPL, or another option which could emerge out of work still being undertaken.

39. The concept of a new vehicle to assist in the delivery of quality urban living goals is likely to be of interest to local boards. Local boards’ role in community engagement and local place-making is central to shaping on-going change.

40. In the initial stages it is likely that any increase in redevelopment/regeneration activity would simply reflect repriotisation of LTP budgets in areas which have been identified as spatial priorities. However, it is anticipated that the vehicle would generate and/or leverage new sources of funding over time.

41. This report seeks comments from local boards on the concept of an enhanced delivery vehicle for urban regeneration including comment on the considerations that the Governing Body should take into account from a local perspective, when developing the concept further.

42. Holding Company. ACIL currently owns council shares in Ports of Auckland Limited, Auckland Film Studios, and Auckland International Airport. It also manages the diversified financial assets portfolio (DFAP) on behalf of the council. An option still being considered is to transfer responsibility for the DFAP to the council. ACIL would then become a holding company for council’s ownership in commercial investments. This option does not have identifiable implications for local boards.

CCO model –working better together

43. The focus of the review to date has been on the rationale for arms-length delivery and options for structural change. The terms of reference for the review are much wider than this and include consideration of how to make the CCO model work best for the Auckland Council group. The Auckland Council CCO model is fundamentally different to other local authorities in New Zealand as CCOs deliver core services on behalf of council. The preferred approach is a collaborative model where CCOs are delivery partners, rather than autonomous entities that the council procures services from.

44. Two workstreams likely to be of particular interest to local boards are the Accountability Framework workstream; and the Communication, Collaboration and Consultation workstream.

Accountability Framework

45. To date, the Accountability Framework workstream has focussed primarily on processes, with a goal of improving alignment between budgeting, the LTP process and the annual statement of intent (SOI) process.

46. Proposed new processes have been considered at CCO Review workshops and are due to be considered formally by the CCO Governance and Monitoring Committee on 7 October 2014.

47. The proposed new process recognises that the council’s expectations of CCOs expressed through the SOI process, need to be aligned to the LTP/Annual Plan. When the council considers CCO priorities it should do so within the context of the funding it is providing, or the funding assumptions it is making in the LTP/annual plan.

48. Under the proposed new process the Budget Committee will consider CCO key performance indicators and targets at its October/November workshops with CCOs, and will agree an annual letter of expectation (LOE) to CCO chairs, that reflects budget decisions made. The CCO Governance and Monitoring Committee will receive the draft SOIs in April each year as usual and will limit its shareholder comments to checking that deliverables reflect what has already been agreed through the budgeting process.

49. For local boards, the main implication is that the Budget Committee will also have an overview of local board priorities when it sets its funding for CCOs. For the proposed LTP, the Budget Committee workshops with local boards occur shortly before workshops with CCOs. This will enable Budget Committee members to engage with CCOs regarding local board priorities if they have concerns about any priorities that are not reflected in programmes proposed by CCOs.

50. This does not supersede the requirement for CCOs to take local board priorities into account when they develop their proposed programmes, and for CCOs to actively engage with local boards as they do this.

51. The other proposed change is to streamline the SOIs so that they are focused on what the CCO will deliver. Council expectations in relation to how the CCO is expected to act will be included in a new Governance Manual that will replace the current Shareholder Expectation Guide.

52. Under recent changes to the Local Government Act 2002, the council is required to have a binding agreement with its CCOs. It is proposed that the binding agreement will cross-reference the Governance Manual which will formalise the requirement to comply with council expectations.

53. This Governance Manual will include council expectations of CCOs in relation to local board engagement and reporting, and consideration of local board priorities. These have already been articulated in resolutions of the Accountability and Performance committee in December 2012, and the Strategy and Finance Committee in September 2013. The recent elected member survey included questions for local board members to help assess the current level of satisfaction of local board members in relation to these matters. It is intended that this will continue to be monitored annually.

Communication, collaboration and consultation workstream

54. The purpose of this workstream is to:

· Ensure that CCOs, elected members and council staff engage effectively over strategic issues and keep each other well informed of sensitive issues. This includes CCO interaction with the IMSB and local boards.

· Ensure appropriate public engagement on matters of public interest.

55. This work is still being scoped. The working group will include a staff member from Local Board Services.

56. This work could result in new content for inclusion in the new Governance Manual referred to in paragraphs 51-53. This would need to be identified in draft form by March 2015. If there are any proposals that relate to local boards, CCO Review staff will seek guidance from Local Board Services about further engagement with local boards on these matters.

Next steps in CCO review

57. According to the current timetable, the Governing Body will receive a report on 27 November 2014 with recommendations on CCO configuration options. If the council agrees to support any option that would require significant structural change to any CCO or the establishment of a new CCO, this will be consulted on through the LTP. The proposal to establish a new vehicle to deliver on quality urban living objectives would require LTP consultation.

58. Work on the “working better together” workstreams will continue from now until June 2015.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

59. This report asks for local board views on a number of issues that are being considered as part of the CCO review. This report has provided an overview of review and noted the matters which are likely to be of most interest to local boards.

Māori impact statement

60. The CCO review also includes a range of issues that are likely to be of interest to Māori and to the IMSB. Staff will also seek feedback from the IMSB in relation to these matters.

Implementation

61. There are no implementation issues associated with this report.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Kaipātiki Local Board Feedback to the CCO Review	133

Signatories

Authors

Catherine Syme - Principal Advisor, CCO Governance and External Partnerships

Authorisers

John Bishop - Treasurer and Manager CCO Governance & External Partnerships

Karen Lyons - Manager Local Board Services

Eric Perry - Relationship Manager

Kaipātiki Local Board

12 November 2014

Significance and Engagement Policy

File No.: CP2014/24028

Purpose

1. The purpose of this report is to provide background information on the draft Significance and Engagement Policy to support local boards in providing formal feedback.

Executive summary

2. There have been changes to the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA2002). Council is now required to adopt a Significance and Engagement policy by 1 December 2014. Council already has a Significance Policy, but it must be expanded to include engagement.

3. A draft Significance and Engagement Policy was adopted by the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee on 4 September for public consultation from 22 September to 19 October 2014.

4. The legislation requires the policy to consider community preferences about engagement on decisions relating to specific issues. Auckland Council carries out hundreds of consultation exercises each year, covering small neighbourhood issues up to large regional issues. A core function of local boards is to understand, engage with and represent their local communities. The development of the Significance and Engagement Policy is not intended to constrain or restrict the role of local boards in this regard.

5. An overview of the methods that could be used depending on the significance of the issue has been compiled to provide guidance.

6. The policy will be supported by updated guidelines, case studies and templates providing more detail on engagement principles and good practice.

Recommendation/s

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) provide feedback on the draft Auckland Council Significance and Engagement Policy.

Background

7. As part of the Long-term Plan (LTP) 2012-2022 process, Auckland Council adopted a Significance Policy to provide a mechanism for establishing which decisions are significant with reference to thresholds and general criteria. This was a requirement under the LGA2002 and the policy requires all council reports to state the degree of significance. A significant decision triggers an automatic requirement to consult.

8. The Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2014 amended the LGA 2002, so that all councils are now required to adopt a Significance and Engagement Policy by 1 December 2014.

9. This legislative change requires the council to expand its current Significance Policy to include engagement. The current Significance Policy has been used to provide the basis of the new Significance and Engagement Policy.

10. The draft Significance and Engagement Policy was adopted by the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee on 4 September for public consultation from 22 September to 19 October.

11. Since the committee meeting, there have been some minor changes to clarify what constitutes a ‘significant’ decision. The order of the significance section has changed as a result of this, while the criteria that related to engagement are now in section 6.1 under engagement methods.

Consultation on the draft policy

12. Consultation on the draft policy will not follow a special consultative procedure (SCP). Consultation will be targeted at interest groups and will seek out feedback from communities who are often not involved in council’s consultation processes.

13. Consultation will largely be focused online through ShapeAuckland. A sign language submissions service has also been set up through Deaf Radio.

14. A variety of stakeholder organisations have been contacted to help organise community workshops on the draft policy. This includes youth groups, ethnic groups, Grey Power, Age Concern, community organisations and networks.

15. In addition, the council will use Our Auckland, the People’s Panel and social media as a way of further encouraging feedback on the draft policy. Local boards are encouraged to help encourage participation through their stakeholder newsletters and social media.

Role of local boards

16. A core function of local boards is to understand, engage with and represent their local communities. They do this through a number of formal and informal mechanisms in relation to their local board plans and local board agreements, and also to inform local board input into regional plans and policies. The development of the Significance and Engagement Policy is not intended to constrain or restrict this role.

17. While adoption of the Significance and Engagement Policy is a Governing Body decision, local boards have a role in providing input to its development. The purpose of this report is to seek local board input on the attached draft policy.

Policy approach to engagement

18. The LGA2002 sets out principles for consultation that all councils must follow.

19. Feedback received from the community and stakeholders on Auckland Council consultation and engagement processes has highlighted a number of other important principles to consider when engaging with the community. These have been incorporated into the policy as a way of recognising the needs of Auckland’s diverse communities, and the value that is placed on their involvement in decision-making processes.

20. The legislation requires the policy to set out how the council will respond to community preferences about engagement on decisions relating to specific issues, assets and other matters. Auckland Council carries out hundreds of consultation exercises each year from small neighbourhood matters up to large regional issues. A list of how the council will engage on each issue would be extensive and would not allow flexibility depending on the timing, the community affected and likely level of interest on the issue. It would also limit the council’s ability to consider and refine approaches for engagement in response to community feedback.

21. An overview of the kinds of methods that could be used depending on the significance of the issue has been compiled to provide guidance. These have been categorised as small and simple, medium or large and complex. The level of significance will be determined using the criteria in section 3 of the policy. The criteria used to assess whether a decision is significant are also useful when considering which engagement methods should be used for a particular decision (if any). For the avoidance of doubt, the use of the criteria to assess the level of engagement does not replace the council’s assessment of whether or not a decision is ‘significant’.

Significance

22. A decision is significant if:

a. the thresholds related to an activity or group of activities are exceeded; or

b. the decision relates to strategic assets.

23. A decision will also be significant where the council, having applied the criteria, decides that it is significant. Where a decision is determined to be significant, it will automatically trigger a requirement to consult.

Strategic Assets

24. Strategic assets are defined as assets or a group of assets required for the local authority to maintain its capacity to achieve or promote any outcome that council determines is important for the present or future wellbeing of the community. The council considers its strategic assets as a whole (rather than single assets), because it is the asset class as a whole that delivers the service. The list of strategic assets should cover only those assets that are significant for an entity the size of the Auckland Council. The strategic assets are listed in the Significance and Engagement Policy, which includes land or buildings owned by the council that are required to maintain the local authority’s capacity to provide affordable housing, and equity securities held by council in a port company or airport company.

25. The definition of networks included in the list of strategic assets has been updated by inclusion of the North Harbour Stadium, Bruce Mason Theatre and Q Theatre, which Auckland Council acquired since the adoption of the Significance Policy in 2012. In addition, substantive shares in Watercare have been combined with shares in substantive CCOs as Watercare became a substantive CCO in 2012.

26. The legislation provides that a decision to transfer the ownership or control of a strategic asset to or from the local authority may only be made if they are explicitly provided for in the council’s LTP and, from 2015, also included in the consultation document used to consult on the LTP.

27. Decisions on assets not included in the list are subject to the normal provisions of the Local Government Act 2002 regarding decision making and consultation. This ensures that interested or affected parties will have their views considered appropriately in decision making. The council would retain discretion to consult (including using the special consultative procedure) for these decisions if it wished.

28. Strategic assets, as defined by this policy, that are owned and or managed by a substantive CCO are identified in the CCO Accountability Policy.

Thresholds

29. As a general guide, the creation of a new group of activity, the cessation of a group of activity, or a 33 per cent increase or 20 per cent decrease in the nature of a group of activity, would be considered significant.

General Criteria

30. The council has also identified a list of criteria to consider when deciding whether or not a matter is significant.

Timeline

31. The high level timeline for the development of the policy is as follows:

Milestone	Description / steps	Timing
Developing the draft policy	Drafting the policy Testing the policy internally, with key stakeholders and advisory panels Gaining feedback on draft policy with local board members, local board chairs, IMSB Regional Strategy & Policy for adoption prior to consultation	July – August 5 September
Consulting on the draft policy	Communications and engagement on the draft Local board workshops Local board reports / formal feedback process Advisory panel workshops Stakeholder discussions Public engagement	September-October
Revising the draft policy	Analysing and reviewing feedback Updating draft policy	October onwards
Adopting the policy	Budget Committee Regional Strategy and Policy Governing body for adoption	5 November 6 November 27 November

32. This policy is expected to be adopted by 1 December 2014 and must be incorporated into the Long-term Plan (in summary form). The policy can be amended at any time.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

33. This report is seeking the views of local boards on the draft policy.

34. Local boards’ statutory role of identifying and communicating the views of the community on regional strategies, policies, plans and bylaws of the council has been taken into account during the development of the draft policy.

35. Engagement with local boards to date has included:

· an initial discussion at the Local Board Chairs Forum meeting on 28 April 2014;

· a workshop for all local board members to discuss aspects of the draft policy on 22 August; and

· workshops are being held with individual boards during September and October where requested.

Māori impact statement

36. Auckland Council recognise that Māori are a critical / important audience that need to be engaged in a meaningful way. The Treaty of Waitangi Audit 2012 and the Auckland Council Guide on Engaging with Māori were reviewed during the development of the draft policy. The draft policy has been presented for discussion to the Independent Māori Statutory Board. The results of a recent research study on Māori engagement with Auckland Council will be considered prior to finalising the draft policy and to identify improvements with the engagement guidelines.

37. Discussions on the draft policy and guidelines will also take place at a mana whenua forum during the consultation period.

General

38. This report does not involve decisions that will trigger the council’s current Significance Policy.

Implementation

39. Auckland Council does not currently have an adopted engagement policy. It does however have:

· a consultation and engagement guidebook;

· a guide on Engagement with Māori;

· a staff training programme in community engagement through the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2);

· an internal network which is used to share case studies; and

· an annual awards event to celebrate good practice.

40. Further work is taking place to improve the guidance that is available, in particular with respect to engaging with Auckland’s culturally and demographically diverse communities.

41. It is expected that updated guidance, case studies and templates will be prepared alongside the development of the draft policy so that these are available for the purposes of engagement on the draft Long-term Plan and other processes as soon as practicable. This will include legal advice on the consultation document and other changes to requirements as a result of the LGA 2002 amendments.

42. Local boards will be encouraged to input into the development of the updated guidance, case studies and templates through engagement advisors.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Draft Significance and Engagement Policy	149

Signatories

Authors

Carol Hayward - Senior Specialist Engagement & Consultation

Authorisers

Karl Ferguson - Communication & Engagement Director

Eric Perry - Relationship Manager

Kaipātiki Local Board

12 November 2014

Draft Community Facilities Network Plan

File No.: CP2014/24124

Purpose

1. To seek the board’s feedback on the draft Community Facilities Network Plan (Attachment A) following workshops held with all local boards in August and September 2014.

Executive summary

2. In August 2014 the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee endorsed the Draft Community Facilities Network Plan (REG/2014/98) for engagement with local boards, advisory panels and key external stakeholders.

3. The purpose of the Community Facilities Network Plan (draft plan) is to guide council’s provision of community facilities for the next 10 years and beyond. The key drivers are to:

· Optimise the use and efficiency of existing facilities

· Address gaps and needs for community facilities now and into the future

· Meet demand arising from population growth and changing user expectations.

4. The scope of the draft plan includes community centres, venues for hire (community or rural halls), arts and culture facilities, aquatic and leisure facilities. The network includes facilities owned by council and facilities owned by third-parties which are supported by council and available for community use. While facilities like libraries, sport clubs, community leases, schools, churches and marae are not included in the recommendations of the network plan, these facilities will be considered in the implementation phase.

5. There are three key components of the draft plan:

· Strategic framework – specifies the outcomes council is seeking from its investment in community facilities aligned with the Auckland Plan, Local Board Plans and other strategic priorities; and articulates the council’s key objectives for future provision.

· Provision framework – guides council’s approach for future community facility provision.

· Action Plan – over 50 recommended actions to investigate areas with potential gaps in provision and to investigate existing facilities with issues affecting their performance.

6. Each action will require detailed community or sector based investigation to understand needs and determine the appropriate response. Process guidelines have been developed to ensure a consistent approach to these investigations. Local boards and the local community will be fully involved in investigation processes.

7. As council may not have the capacity to invest in all community facility projects, the draft plan also provides prioritisation criteria to help determine the priorities for investment once the investigation process determines the appropriate facility response. The ability and timeframe to implement the actions is dependent on the budget available for community facility investment in the Long-term Plan 2015-2025 (LTP).

8. Feedback on the draft plan was sought from key stakeholders including regional sports organisations, facility partners, facility managers and advisory panels. Submissions were also invited through shapeauckland.co.nz which closed on 15 September 2014. A summary of feedback is attached in Attachment B.

9. It is proposed that libraries should be included in the Community Facilities Network Plan as another key community facility that council provides, and to ensure alignment of planning and future facility provision. Libraries have undertaken similar research to understand the gaps and needs for libraries and are well placed to be included. There will need to be further communication with local boards on the libraries content. Revised timeframes to integrate libraries into the plan and to align with the LTP process are outlined in this report.

Recommendation/s

That the Kaipātiki Local Board:

a) provide feedback on the Draft Community Facilities Network Plan which will guide council’s provision of community facilities, including any specific feedback on the strategic framework, provision framework, action plan, implementation approach and prioritisation criteria.

b) note proposed revised timeframes to include libraries in the Community Facilities Network Plan and that further engagement with local boards will be undertaken to discuss the libraries content and the final revised network plan.

Comments

Draft Community Facilities Network Plan

10. Community facilities contribute to building strong, healthy and vibrant communities by providing space for people to connect with each other, socialise, learn skills and participate in a range of social, cultural, art and recreational activities. Community facilities contribute to improved lifestyles and a sense of belonging, identity and pride among residents.

11. The draft plan outlines how council will provide and invest in community facilities to respond to community needs and population growth and changes.

12. The draft plan sets out a strategic framework for community facilities to articulate why council invests in the provision of community facilities, the desired outcomes from this investment and the key objectives for future provision. This is aligned with the strategic direction and transformational shifts in the Auckland Plan, local board plans and relevant strategic action plans.

13. The proposed common purpose for community facilities is “Vibrant and welcoming places at the heart of where and how communities connect and participate”.

14. The draft plan sets out four proposed key objectives to guide and underpin the future provision of community facilities:

· Undertake robust and consistent planning to ensure future decisions on the provision of community facilities are based on clear evidence of needs and assessment of all options.

· Maintain, improve and make the best use of existing community facilities where they continue to meet community needs and investigate the future of facilities that no longer meet community needs.

· Provide flexible and multi-purpose facilities that are co-located and/or integrated with other community infrastructure.

· Look for opportunities to leverage and support partnerships.

Future Provision Framework

15. The draft plan proposes provision frameworks for each type of community facility to guide council’s approach to the provision of new facilities in the future.

Community Centres

16. The proposed provision approach for community centres is to continue to maintain and deliver community centres at the local level across the region, recognising the important role they play in meeting local community needs for spaces to deliver a wide range of community, recreation, learning, events, arts and culture activities.

Venues for hire

17. Given the wide range of providers of venues to hire, the draft plan proposes the council does not invest in any more new stand-alone venues for hire. It is proposed that bookable space is included in multi-purpose community centres (new or existing/redeveloped), guided by community needs assessments. Other options should be explored including partnerships or encouraging other organisations (such as schools, sports clubs and churches) to make bookable spaces available for community use. In some cases where venues for hire are no longer serving community needs, there may be potential to consider repurposing venues for other activities or possible divestment.

Aquatic and Leisure Facilities

18. The proposed provision framework for aquatic and leisure facilities is through a hierarchy of local, destination and regional facilities to support participation in a range of sport and recreation activities from casual play through to competitive sport. The draft plan outlines different functions and level of provision for local, destination and regional facilities.

Arts and Culture Facilities

19. At the local level, the proposed future provision will focus on enabling participation in arts and culture activity through programming in existing facilities and new multi-purpose facilities, rather than building new standalone local arts facilities. The focus will be placed on integrating arts space and programming within the existing network or in new multi-purpose facilities, repurposing existing spaces or partnering with others to provide suitable space.

20. It is recognised there is a need for some specialised arts and culture facilities that serve larger catchments. The draft plan proposes supporting a network of destination and regional arts and cultural facilities to meet sector and audience demand, which would be determined by robust investigation on a case-by-case basis. It is proposed the council would only intervene when the private sector does not and opportunities for partnerships with the wider sector including central government should be explored.

Action Plan and Implementation

21. The draft plan includes over 50 recommended actions to undertake investigations into the future provision of community facilities, focused on both existing facilities and potential areas for new facilities.

22. All recommended actions will require detailed community or sector based investigation to determine the appropriate response. It is intended that any future investment in community facilities will be determined following detailed investigation which provides clear evidence of need, options analysis and development of a robust business case. Detailed process guidelines to ensure a consistent approach to these investigations have been developed (Appendix 2 of draft plan: Community Facilities Development Guidelines). Local boards and the community would be fully involved in investigation processes.

23. As council may not have the capacity to invest in all community facility projects, the draft network plan provides prioritisation criteria to assist the governing body to determine its priorities for investment in community facilities.

24. The draft plan identifies existing community facilities which have issues impacting on their performance and ability to meet community needs. In these cases, investigation is required to understand in more detail how the facility is operating and meeting community needs, explore various options for the facility and to determine the appropriate response. There could be a variety of options including changes to facility governance, management or programming, facility redevelopment, repurposing for another activity or possible divestment.

25. For potential areas for new facilities, a similar investigation process is required to understand community needs, explore and test the feasibility of different options and assess the business case for a new facility. The outcome of this investigation may identify a non-asset solution is required such as programming, partnerships or supporting a non-council facility.

26. The actions in the draft network plan have been ranked according to the urgency of completing the investigation recognising different factors including condition issues, responding to catalysts, opportunities for rationalisation or partnerships, timing and scale of population growth and location in a spatial priority area.

27. During workshops with local boards, some inaccuracies were identified in the draft plan. Corrections have been included in the draft plan attached in Attachment A.

Stakeholder Engagement

28. The draft plan has been informed by previous feedback from communities, principally via annual customer satisfaction surveys, user surveys, catchments studies and consultation on the Auckland Plan and relevant strategic action plans.

29. Given this context, engagement on the draft plan has primarily been limited to targeted stakeholders, including council’s advisory panels, facility partners and managers and external stakeholder groups such as regional sports organisations. Additionally, the draft plan has been available for wider public comment on shapeauckland.co.nz. A summary of feedback is attached in Attachment B.

30. Most of the actions identified in the draft plan will require further investigation to determine the appropriate response. This will include detailed and localised community and/or sector based investigation/engagement and feedback from communities on different options. The public will also have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed level of future investment in community facilities via the LTP consultation process.

Incorporating Libraries into the Network Plan

31. Through the LTP process, the Parks, Community and Lifestyle theme has been working to address priorities and funding for activities including community facilities, recreation facilities and libraries. It has become clear there is a need for a more coordinated and aligned approach for the future planning and development of community facilities with an emphasis on multi-purpose facilities.

32. It is proposed that libraries be included in the network plan as a key community facility that council provides and to ensure alignment of planning and future facility provision. Libraries have undertaken similar research to understand the gaps and needs for future libraries and are well placed to be included. There will need to be further communication with local boards on the libraries content which means the timeframes to complete the network plan will need to be extended into 2015.

33. One advantage of extending the timeframes is alignment with the LTP process. The level of future capital investment in community facilities won’t be known until after the public consultation process on the LTP is completed in May 2015. Finalising the network plan once the LTP process is completed (or near completion) will ensure the plan can incorporate the LTP outcomes and governing body priorities for future investment in community facilities.

34. The key benefit of modifying the scope to include libraries is the alignment of planning and provision to achieve better community outcomes and greater efficiency.

35. The revised timeframe for integrating libraries into the draft plan is outlined below:

Dec	Briefing with local boards on the library research
Dec-Jan	Development of revised Community Facilities Network Plan
Feb 2015	Workshops with local boards to review the revised plan
Mar	Report to the governing body on the revised draft plan
Apr-May	Report to local boards seeking feedback on revised draft plan
July	Report to governing body seeking approval of final Community Facilities Network Plan

Consideration

Local board views and implications

36. During August and September, workshops with local boards were undertaken to present on the draft Community Facilities Network Plan, to respond to any questions and assist local boards in formulating their feedback.

37. Feedback from local boards is sought on the draft plan, particularly on the following:

· Strategic framework (section 3) including the common purpose, outcomes and objectives

· Provision frameworks (Section 4)

· Action plan (section 5)

· Implementation approach (section 6) including process guidelines and prioritisation criteria.

38. The feedback from local boards will be incorporated into a revised network plan (which includes libraries) and will be presented/reported to local boards in 2015.

Māori impact statement

39. The provision of community facilities contributes to improving wellbeing among Maori communities by providing spaces to connect, socialise, learn skills and participate. For all community facility types Maori are represented as users. At aquatic facilities Maori make up 14% of users (compared to 9% of the population), 11% of leisure facility users and 9% of community centre users. Maori are under-represented as users compared to the Auckland population at arts and culture facilities.

40. Given the context of the network plan and the information already received through the user surveys and iwi consultation on the strategic action plans, it was not proposed to undertake any specific engagement with Maori or other facility users.

41. The broader picture of community facility provision recognises that marae and kohanga reo are important social infrastructure for Maori and the community. Officers from Te Waka Angamua are currently scoping a project to address the future provision and development of marae facilities. Opportunities for aligned provision and/or partnerships with marae facilities should be considered as potential options to meet community needs.

Implementation

42. The draft plan is an aspirational plan for the next 10 to 20 years which outlines what needs to be investigated and undertaken to deliver a network of community facilities to meet community needs. The ability and timeframe to implement the actions is dependent on the level of budget available through the council’s LTP 2015-2025.

43. Through the LTP process, the governing body will consider the amount of funding available for investment in community facilities. To deliver the network plan this will need to include both operational funding to undertake the required investigations and depending on the outcome of each investigation, capital and operational funding to implement the recommended response.

44. Once the network plan is adopted, implementation will focus on progressing the high priority actions using the implementation approach and community facilities development guidelines.

45. The draft plan lists a number of community facility projects that are already underway or were anticipated to commence construction in 2014/15. The current review of the 2014/15 capital works programme may result in the deferral of some of these projects. Once decisions have been made on deferrals, then the draft network plan will be amended to reflect this.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Draft Community Facilities Network Plan	173
b View	Draft Community Facilities Network Plan stakeholder feedback	239

Signatories

Authors

Anita Coy-Macken - Principal Policy Analyst – Central

David Shamy - Principal Policy Analyst

Authorisers

Carol McKenzie-Rex - Relationship Manager

Penny Pirrit - Regional & Local Planning Manager

Eric Perry - Relationship Manager

Chairperson	Kay McIntyre, QSM
Deputy Chairperson	Ann Hartley, JP
Members	Dr Grant Gillon
	John Gillon
	Danielle Grant
	Richard Hills
	Lorene Pigg
	Lindsay Waugh

	Kay McIntyre QSM Chairperson Ph 09 484 8383 DDI 09 484 8987 Mobile 021 287 8844 kay.mcintyre@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Finance – lead · Planning, policy and governance – lead · Built environment, streetscapes and urban design – alternate		Ann Hartley JP Deputy Chairperson Mob 027 490 6909 Office 09 484 8383 Home 09 483 7572 ann.hartley@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Community Development and Facilities – lead · Sport, recreation services and parks (active) – lead · Parks, reserves and playgrounds (passive) – alternate · Planning, policy and governance – alternate · Regulatory, bylaws and compliance – alternate
	Danielle Grant Local Board Member Mob 021 835 724 Office 09 484 8383 Home 09 442 1271 danielle.grant@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Arts, culture and events services – lead · Economic development – lead · Natural environment – alternate		Grant Gillon MPP, PhD Local Board Member Mob 027 476 4679 Office 09 484 8383 grant.gillon@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Natural environment – lead · Regulatory, bylaws and compliance – lead · Libraries – alternate
	John Gillon Local Board Member Mob 021 286 2288 Office 09 484 8383 Home 09 443 1683 john.gillon@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Libraries – lead · Parks, reserves and playgrounds (passive) – lead · Civil defence and emergency management – alternate		Lindsay Waugh Local Board Member Mob 021 287 1155 Office 09 484 8383 Home 09 418 1620 lindsay.waugh@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Built environment, streetscapes and urban design – lead · Arts, culture and events services – alternate · Transport and infrastructure – alternate
	Lorene Pigg Local Board Member Mob 021 839 375 Office 09 484 8383 lorene.pigg@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Civil defence and emergency management – lead · Finance – alternate · Sport, recreation services and parks (active) – alternate		Richard Hills Local Board Member Mob 021 286 4411 Office 09 484 8383 richard.hills@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz Portfolios: · Transport and infrastructure – lead · Community Development and Facilities – alternate · Economic development – alternate

Report Title	Referred by	Item	Date of Meeting	Date Received
Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel - Update on progress	Auckland Unitary Plan Committee	9	20 October 2014	21 October 2014

Authors	Bianca Wildish - Democracy Advisor
Authorisers	Eric Perry - Relationship Manager