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Howick Local
Board
30 March 2023
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Local
Board views on Notice of Requirement for the Eastern Busway Stage 2
File No.: CP2023/03455
Te take mō te
pūrongo
Purpose of the report
1. To invite the Howick Local Board’s views
on a Notice of Requirement (NoR) lodged by
Auckland Transport for the second stage of the Eastern Busway. The NoR seeks to
designate land for an extension of the Eastern Busway, a new bus station at
Pakuranga, and the Reeves Road Flyover.
Whakarāpopototanga matua
Executive summary
2. Decision-makers
on a Notice of Requirement (NoR) to the Auckland Unitary Plan must consider
local boards’ views on the NoR, if the relevant local boards choose to
provide their views.
3. Each
local board has a responsibility to communicate the interests and preferences
of people in its area on Auckland Council policy documents, including on a NoR.
A local board can present local views and preferences when expressed by the
whole local board[1].
4. The
Eastern Busway Alliance, on behalf of Auckland Transport, has served a NoR on Auckland
Council for the construction, operation, and maintenance of Eastern Busway
Stage 2 on land between the intersection of Ti Rakau Drive/ South-Eastern
Highway and Pakuranga Road / William Reeves Road, Pakuranga.
5. The
NoR was publicly notified on 21 November 2022 and submissions closed on 19
December 2022. Fourteen (14) submissions were received. The key themes arising
from submissions include the effects of the works on access to the Pakuranga
Plaza, inconvenience and disruption to businesses within the Plaza, reduction
in car parking, construction noise and vibration, and effects on education
facilities in the area. There were also two submissions in support of the NoR.
6. This report is the mechanism for the local board to resolve and
provide its views on the NoR. Staff do not recommend a view the local board
should convey.
7. This report originally came to the Board at its 16 March 2023
business meeting, during which the Board resolved (HW/2023/39) to defer
consideration on this matter to its next business meeting, dated 20 April 2023,
or earlier via another meeting if required. This cannot be resolved via an
urgent decision.
8. The Board has since received advice that feedback is required
ideally by 30 March 2023, and no later than 12 April 2023. An extraordinary
meeting has therefore been called to enable the Board to provide feedback on
the Notice of Requirement for the Eastern Busway Stage 2.
Ngā tūtohunga
Recommendation/s
That the Howick Local Board:
a) provide local board views on the Notice of Requirement for
Eastern Busway Stage 2, being a new designation.
b) appoint a local board member to speak to the local board views
at a hearing on the Notice of Requirement.
c) delegate authority to the chairperson of Howick Local Board to make
a replacement appointment in the event the local board member appointed in
resolution b) is unable to attend the hearing on the Notice of
Requirement.
Horopaki
Context
9. Each
local board is responsible for communicating the interests and preferences
of people in its area regarding the content of Auckland Council’s
strategies, policies, plans, and bylaws. Local boards provide their views on
the content of these documents. Decision-makers must consider local
boards’ views when deciding the content of these policy documents.[2]
10. The NoR is for a new designation to provide an
extension to the Eastern Busway, a new bus station at Pakuranga and the Reeves
Road Flyover into the Auckland Unitary Plan. Local boards must have the
opportunity to provide their views where any process proposes a change to
the Auckland Unitary Plan.
11. If
the local board chooses to provide its views, the planners include those views
in the hearing report. Local board views are included in the analysis of the
NoR, along with all submissions.
12. If
appointed by resolution, local board members may present the local
board’s views at the hearing to commissioners, who will make a
recommendation on the NoR.
13. Following
receipt of the recommendation, the Requiring
Authority would be required to advise the council, within 30 working
days, whether they accept or reject the recommendation in whole or in part.
Once the council has received a decision from the Requiring Authority,
submitters will be advised and are then given an opportunity to lodge an appeal
with the Environment Court if they are not satisfied with the outcome. Auckland
Council will also have the opportunity at this stage to appeal the decision.
14. This
report provides an overview of the NoR and a summary of the key themes in
submissions.
15. The report does not recommend what views the local board should
convey. Staff cannot advise the local board as to what its views should be, and
then evaluate those views.
Tātaritanga me ngā
tohutohu
Analysis and advice
16. Auckland
Transport has prepared a NoR and sought resource consents for bulk earthworks, vegetation removal,
discharge of contaminants to land, and activities within the coastal marine
area to enable the Eastern Busway Stage 2.
17. The
Eastern Busway Stage 2 starts at Pakuranga Town Centre and encompasses works on
Ti Rakau Drive, Pakuranga Road, Reeves Road, Cortina Place, Palm Avenue,
Aylesbury Street, Pennell Place, and the South-Eastern Highway.
18. It
forms part of the wider Eastern Busway Project, a multi-stage transport project
being undertaken between Panmure and Botany to improve the transport networks
across south-east Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Auckland Transport states
that Eastern Busway Stage 2 will help address network congestion, provide improved
transport choices, address network safety issues, and support the urban
intensification of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
19. These works will involve an extension of the
existing Panmure to Pakuranga busway, the construction of a new Pakuranga Bus
Station and the Reeves Road Flyover; as well as modifications to the on and off
ramps of South-Eastern Highway, and upgrades to local walking, cycling and
stormwater infrastructure.
20. The
location of the NoR is shown on Figure 1 below:
21. The
timing of the works will depend upon funding and Auckland Transport has asked
for a 10 year lapse period for the designation.
22. The
NoR includes technical reports that evaluate:
· ecology (coastal and
terrestrial)
· noise and vibration
(construction and operational)
· open space
· air quality
· visual and landscape
values
· social impact
· arboriculture
· stormwater
· archaeology
· integrated transport
· ground contamination
· erosion
· sediment control
23. The reports
and other application details are available from council’s website
at
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/unitary-plan/auckland-unitary-plan-modifications/notices-of-requirement-to-designate-land/Pages/default.aspx
24. Council’s
planners, and other experts, are evaluating the NoR, and will report on:
· technical reports
supplied by the applicant
· submissions
· views and
preferences of the local board, if the local board passes a resolution.
25. Auckland Transport requested that the NoR be publicly notified. The
NoR was publicly notified on 21 November 2021 and submissions closed on 19
December 2022.
Themes from submissions received
26. Submissions on the NoR were made by fourteen organisations
and people:
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Submissions
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Support/support
in part or with amendments
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Neutral /
unclear
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Oppose/oppose
in part
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NoR EB2
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4
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2
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8
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27. Key
submission themes are listed below:
· concern about
changes to access and car parking at Pakuranga Plaza
· ongoing
inconvenience to businesses in Pakuranga Plaza
· concern about
effects of construction on businesses particularly within Pakuranga Plaza
· concern about
linkages to and support for intensification of area around the bus station
· effects of heavy
traffic on safety of road network during construction especially for school
students
· support for
improvements in passenger transport facilities.
Tauākī whakaaweawe
āhuarangi
Climate
impact statement
28. The
council’s climate goals as set out in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri:
Auckland's Climate Plan include:
· to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions to reach net zero emissions by 2050
· to prepare the
region for the adverse impacts of climate change.
29. The local
board could consider if the NoR:
· will reduce,
increase or have no effect on Auckland’s overall greenhouse gas emissions
(e.g. does it encourage car dependency, enhance connections to public transit,
walking and cycling or support quality compact urban form)
· prepare the region
for the adverse impacts of climate change i.e. does the NoR elevate or
alleviate climate risks (e.g. flooding, coastal and storm inundation, urban
heat effect, stress on infrastructure).
Ngā whakaaweawe me
ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera
Council group impacts and views
30. Auckland
Transport is the requiring authority that has lodged the NoR.
31. Watercare
Services did not submit on the NoR.
32. The council’s Healthy Waters and Parks Services departments
have specialists within the council’s project team, who will contribute
to the reporting planners’ hearing report.
Ngā whakaaweawe
ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe
Local impacts and local board views
33. The
NoR falls within the Howick Local Board area.
34. Factors
the local board may wish to consider in formulating its view include:
· interests and
preferences of people in local board area
· well-being of
communities within the local board area
· local board
documents, such as local board plan, local board agreement
· responsibilities and
operation of the local board.
35. Auckland
Transport has advised that the Howick Local Board was provided regular updates
on the project and planned consultation activities.
36. Feedback
at that stage was informal. Restrictions on delegations prevent that informal
feedback from being the views of the local board.[3]
37. This report is the mechanism for obtaining formal local board views.
The hearings panel and will consider local board views, if provided, when
making its recommendation on the NoR.
Tauākī whakaaweawe
Māori
Māori impact statement
38. If
the local board chooses to provide its views on the NoR, it includes the
opportunity to comment on matters that may be of interest or importance to Māori, well-being of Māori communities or Te Ao Māori (Māori world view). In the 2018
census, 6% residents in the local board area identified as Māori.
39. Auckland
Transport has engaged with local iwi to help identify key cultural issues
associated with the project and address any potential effects that may
raise.
40. No mana whenua groups have submitted on the NoR.
Ngā ritenga
ā-pūtea
Financial implications
41. There
are no financial implications with the local board providing its views.
42. The local board is not exposed to any financial risk from providing
its views.
Ngā raru tūpono me
ngā whakamaurutanga
Risks and mitigations
43. The power to provide local board views regarding the content of a NoR cannot be delegated to
individual local board member(s).[4] To
avoid the procedural risk of an individual local board member expressing the
views of the local board, this report enables the whole local board to decide
whether to provide its views and, if so, to determine what matters those views
should include.
Ngā koringa ā-muri
Next steps
44. The planner will include, and report on, any resolution of the local
board in the hearing report. The local board member appointed to speak to the
local board’s views will be informed of the hearing date and invited to
the hearing for that purpose.
Ngā tāpirihanga
Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Ngā kaihaina
Signatories
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Authors
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David Wong - Senior Policy Planner
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Authorisers
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John Duguid - General Manager - Plans and Places
Victoria Villaraza - Local Area Manager
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