11 August 2016

Auckland Unitary Plan update
Auckland Council continued to progress with its final decisions on the Auckland Unitary Plan today.

The Governing Body resumed with decisions on the Independent Hearings Panel recommendations in part C of the council report.

The Governing Body decisions are summarised below. The decisions taken today are the council’s final decisions on the Auckland Unitary Plan.

More detailed information on what was debated today can be found in the agenda available on Auckland Council’s website. The meeting minutes with a full summary of decisions will be added once confirmed.

This meeting was also webcast on the council’s website and items are available on demand.

The Governing Body will reconvene tomorrow at 9.30am.

Decision summary

Part C - Panel recommendations that represent a policy shift from the council’s position and which the Governing Body adopted with some exceptions. Where the Governing Body has rejected a Panel recommendation an alternative solution was adopted.

012 - Infrastructure, energy and transport

The Governing Body rejected the Panel’s recommendations in relation to:
• The deletion of policies which encourage land use and transport integration and in particular, the location of higher intensity activities where those activities are served by key public transport services and routes.
013 – Urban growth

The Governing Body adopted the Panel’s recommendations in relation to:
• Rural Urban Boundary (RUB) line being located at the district plan level.
• The Rural Urban Boundary be deleted from rural and coastal towns enabling growth in new and existing rural and coastal towns.

The Governing Body rejected the Panel’s recommendations in relation to:
• The deletion of objectives and policies to focus growth within the existing metropolitan area.
• Amendments to the policy guiding the location of the RUB.
• That commercial activities are enabled within centres and corridors (greater clarity at regional policy level).

028 – Future Urban

The Governing Body rejected the Panel’s recommendations to:
• Change the activity status of subdivision in the Future Urban zone from a Prohibited activity to a Discretionary activity.
• Change the activity status of landfills in the Future Urban zone from a Non-complying activity to a Discretionary activity.

033/034 – General coastal marine zone and other coastal zones

The Governing Body adopted the Panel’s recommendations in relation to:
• A more restrictive approach for mangrove removal
• Deletion of the specific provisions for houseboats
The Governing Body rejected the Panel’s recommendations in relation to:
• No indication in the activity table for discharges of hull bio-fouling organisms of which standard applies to each activity.
• To include in the definition of marine and port facilities reference to ‘sea walls’.

050 to 054 - City Centre and business zones

The Governing Body adopted the Panel’s recommendations in relation to:
• Port Precinct – that all reclamation, other than minor reclamation for the purpose of repairs and maintenance (including remedial or rehabilitation work) is a discretionary activity rather than a tiered approach with restricted discretionary, discretionary and non-complying activities for reclamation in Areas A, B and C on precinct plan 4.
• Port precinct - that new wharves (and alterations to existing wharves) are a restricted discretionary activity rather than a tiered approach with discretionary and non-complying activities in Areas A, B and C on precinct plan 4.
• Queens Wharf viewshaft – the Panel’s recommendation that the Auckland Unitary Plan does not include a viewshaft.
• Deleting standards relating to building work and internal design matters addressed in the Building Code: admission of daylight to dwellings and universal access to residential buildings.
• Deleting prescriptive design based standards and addressing design matters through the resource consent process for: ground floor entrances at street frontage level, glazing and ground floor activities.
• Quay Park Precincts – to delete framework plans has resulted in a consequential amendment in the Quay Park Precinct.

The Governing Body rejected the Panel’s recommendations in relation to:
• Wynyard Precinct –deleting framework plans which has resulted in a consequential amendment to the height and gross floor area controls in the Wynyard Precinct.
• Queen Street Valley Precinct – to delete the pre-1940 building demolition control from the Queen Street Valley Precinct.
• The deletion of the minimum dwelling size standard in the City Centre and Business Zones.

Technical matters

The Governing Body adopted the recommendations of the IHP in relation to:

• The deletion of urban design standards in business zones.
• The deletion of internal design standards for dwellings in the business zones.

Noting that the internal design standards have been replaced with appropriate policies and matters of discretion.

The Governing Body adopted the recommendation of the IHP in relation to:

• The height in Newmarket Metropolitan Centre be increased to the standard zone height of 72.5m.

The Governing Body rejected the IHP recommendations:

• Height in relation to boundary control within the mixed use zone and between the mixed use zone and the general business zone.
• Deletion of specific standards to manage development within natural hazards areas within the port precinct.
• A recession plane indicator diagram which is inconsistent with the height in relation to boundary controls in all Business Zones.

058 - Open space

The Governing Body adopted the majority of this section, rejecting the following:

• Amending the activity status for new buildings and additions, height and gross floor area threshold standards.

004 - General rules

The Governing Body agreed to adopt the Panel’s recommendation to delete information requirements for design statements.

059 to 063 - Residential Zones

The Governing Body adopted the following recommendations of the Panel:

• Amendments to the purpose of the Single House Zone
• That minor dwellings are provided for in the Single House Zone
• The deletion of the density control in the Mixed House Suburban Zone
• Deletion of development standards relating to garages (percentage of front façade and set back) and dwellings fronting the street
• The deletion of Retained Affordable Housing provisions

The Governing Body rejected the recommendations of the Panel:

• That integrated Residential Developments are provided for as a restricted discretionary activity within a single house zone.

ENDS

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