|
Resolution
number HB/2025/119
MOVED
by Chairperson A Poppelbaum, seconded by Member G Walden:
That
the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board:
a)
tuku / provide the
following feedback to the Governing Body (via the Policy and Planning
Committee) on the Auckland Unitary Plan: Withdrawal in part of Proposed Plan
Change 78 – intensification and draft replacement plan change:
i)
do not support any
upzoning in intensification anywhere on the Hibiscus Coast subdivision of the
Hibiscus and Bays Local Board area noting:
A)
up-zoning is
entirely inappropriate in the current environment where no new developments
can connect to the wastewater system due to the Watercare Army Bay wastewater
pump station being near capacity and awaiting a renewal
B)
any up-zoning, even
where development is not actually realisable like this specific situation,
will still result in valuations increasing in the next assessment –
meaning residents in the up-zoned areas proposed will be paying more in rates
for gains that are not able to be realised, which is unduly unfair
C)
the plan change
proposal for the Hibiscus Coast would result in 5,500 Single House Zone
dwellings moving to Mixed Housing Suburban Zone; 6925 Single House Zone
dwellings moving to Mixed Housing Urban Zone; and 766 Mixed Housing Suburban
Zone dwellings moving to Mixed Housing Urban Zone
D)
a more appropriate
step forward would be for explicit staging triggers (e.g. network capacity
thresholds, project milestones) before any zoning upgrades take effect in
these extremely constrained catchments
ii)
do not support any
upzoning in intensification in Browns Bay or Mairangi Bay (Mixed Housing
Urban Zone to Residential – Terrace Housing and Apartment Buildings
Zone (THAB) noting that:
A)
further
intensification areas, as proposed, immediately surround these two low-lying
coastal town centres that were devastated in the 2023 Auckland Anniversary
floods (which would have been a greater disaster had it been high tide)
B)
further
intensification presents an unacceptable risk to life and increased
infrastructure damage in such a flooding event, by intensifying in
areas that would reduce saturation and block flow paths
C)
neither of these
small coastal towns have direct or rapid transport to central Auckland and
instead have ‘feeder buses’ to transport hubs, which we would
argue doesn’t meet the standard required for THAB zoning
D)
steep gullies,
discontinuous and poor paths for all-abilities, and constrained corridors
reduce practical walkability to the town centres amenities and transport for
some of the proposed THAB zones
E)
at least one of the
proposed THAB zones in Mairangi Bay is within a flood zone which we find
entirely inappropriate, even with planning overlays
iii) note that the coastal settlements noted above
(Ōrewa, Whangaparāoa, Browns Bay and Mairangi Bay) are contending
with active erosion and coastal hazard management. Enabling more height and
density in hazard-prone coastal fringes is inconsistent with risk-reduction
and adaptation objectives
iv) the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board areas have
seen housing growth outpacing local employment growth. Up-zoning without a
commensurate jobs/transport strategy (including committed corridor capacity)
risks longer commutes and greater congestion on already stressed corridors
b)
tuhi tīpoka /
note that the local board only received the updated draft replacement plan
change planning maps for our local board area at 7:30pm the evening before
this 26 August 2025 business meeting
c)
tuhi tīpoka /
note, for the public record, that the National Policy Statement on Urban
Development (NPS-UD) is the government policy setting that directs councils
to remove ‘restrictive’ planning rules and plan for growth, both
up and out. The Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) guides land development based on
this policy setting and Plan Change 78 is Auckland Council’s
intensification planning instrument to update the AUP as per updates to the
NPS-UD. Whilst intensification is not the desire of this local board, the
direction comes from government via the NPS-UD.
CARRIED
|
