29 March 2012

Auckland Plan Sets Course For Radical Change And Growth To Become World’s Most Liveable City

The Auckland Plan is a 30-year strategy embracing radical change and growth as Auckland embarks on the journey to become the world’s most liveable city.

Developed from the Mayor’s visionary “Auckland Unleashed” document in March 2011, and the draft Auckland Plan in September, the final plan definitively outlines how the key priorities of housing, transport, economic growth, heritage, and social and environmental action can be tackled.

The Plan, presented to the council’s Government Body for adoption today, is the collective result of contributions from central government, iwi, business, community and non-governmental organisations through ideas, analysis and technical evidence.

As the Auckland Plan for all its people, it is clear that Auckland must deliver on a number of transformational shifts to achieve success.

These are:
• Dramatically accelerating the prospects of Auckland’s children and young people by focusing on issues of education and learning, youth employment, housing conditions, and societal harm
• Strongly committing to environmental action and green growth by improving the health of our natural environment, resolving issues of air and water pollution and declining fish stocks, and capitalising on international market opportunities associated with Auckland’s clean green image and clean technology
• Delivering outstanding public transport within one network, and ensuring a major shift from private cars to an integrated public transport system
• Radically improving the quality of urban living so our built environment grows to match our beautiful natural environment through sustained and radical improvement in planning, building, urban design and public places
• Substantially raising living standards and addressing social inequality through a focus on significantly improving educational attainment, economic growth and income levels
• Significantly lifting Maori social and economic wellbeing through iwi partnerships, education and entrepreneurship

High on the plan’s agenda, as the city strives to accommodate an estimated one million new residents by 2040, is direction on where and how people will live and work. It has a strong focus on the shape, place and pace of development.

The plan takes up the challenge of addressing the housing crisis through flexibility of choice and affordability for all.

Accepting the public’s strong support for quality compact development and the protection of a productive rural environment, most new residential and business development will occur within the existing urban footprint.

Over time, there will be opportunity for housing and business development in new greenfield areas, and significant development will occur in two satellite towns, Warkworth and Pukekohe.

Compact development inevitably means greater intensification in both existing and new urban areas providing Aucklanders with a wider range of housing choices.

The plan explains this does not mean a city of high-rise apartments, but one with different types of housing to suit various needs, lifestyles and locations.

Critical principles of compact development include:
• quality in all we do
• change over three decades
• providing for the most growth in jobs and homes inside the existing urban footprint, yet also allowing for new greenfield development
• a rural urban boundary (RUB) and staged release of land and infrastructure delivery to meet market demand

The greatest change will occur in the city centre and metropolitan areas such as Takapuna, Henderson, Sylvia Park and Manukau with a mix of high, medium-rise apartments, terraced houses and town houses.

Significant change can be expected in about 30 town centres and in the city centre fringe, except where historic character zoning exists, with predominantly low and medium rise apartments up to eight levels, terraced housing and town houses.

Moderate change will occur in areas identified for growth including most local centres and a range of neighbourhoods with small-lot houses, terraced houses and low-rise apartments up to 3 or 4 storeys.

Neighbourhoods not identified as priorities for growth may receive small-lot detached or semi-detached housing, and the least change will occur in areas of existing historic character zoning and the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area. Sympathetic development will occur where appropriate but not in significant numbers.

The 30-year development strategy is staged over three decades of housing supply, resulting in quality housing that is affordable to ordinary Aucklanders, a significant proportion “attached housing” and located in neighbourhoods close to jobs and amenities.

To achieve adequate housing availability and affordability will require the council to use new game-changing tools:
• establishment of urban development authorities
• amended zonings to allow greater density throughout large parts of urban Auckland
• using council-owned property as a catalyst for change, especially in less market attractive areas
• joint ventures between Auckland Council, central government, and the private and third party sectors
• streamlined planning and fast-track consents for quality developments
• financial incentives such as reduced development contributions for compact housing

The areas of focus for priority planning over the next three years are:
• The City Centre (home to more than 50,000 by 2042) bolstered by the city rail link
• The Southern Initiative – identified for stable housing, job growth, skills development and environmental enhancement
• North West (Hobsonville, Westgate, Massey North) – greenfields development with major housing and business growth
• Tamaki – transformation including improved and new housing and job growth
• New Lynn – potential for significant growth supported by recent infrastructure and public space improvements
• Onehunga – experiencing growth in neighbourhoods and requiring further investment
• Takapuna – metropolitan centre with potential for significant growth in high density mix-used development and strong market interest
• Warkworth and Pukekohe – satellite towns to receive significant population growth over 30 years

Town centres such as Panmure, Manurewa, Browns Bay and Glen Eden will service more immediate catchment areas and eight rural and coastal towns are nominated for limited growth over 30 years where serviced with infrastructure – Wellsford, Snells Beach, Helensville, Kumeu, Huapai, Riverhead, Oneroa and Beachland/Pine Harbour.

At least 1400ha of additional greenfields land will be provided for business activities, the majority for manufacturing, transport and storage. The total area of business land available with current brownfields and future capacity is 2780 ha.

ENDS

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