Council to undertake major ‘stage two’ study on port

Mayor Len Brown says he does not expect the port will make any application for reclamation until after the unitary plan becomes operative.

In the meantime, the Mayor says the council will undertake a major study on the social, economic, environmental and cultural costs of the port versus the alternatives.

"Right now we are engaged in a discussion about the rules that will apply to any application in the future,” says Len Brown. “We are not deciding on future reclamation, and this is not a discussion we intend to be having at any time soon.

The council’s position, endorsed by the Auckland Development Committee on 12 February 2015, is tougher than the operative rules in the existing Regional Coastal Plan, which currently makes reclamation within the port precinct a discretionary activity.

“Any eventual decisions on the future footprint of the port will need to balance the rights of Aucklanders to have a say, with the important economic role played by our ports,” says Len Brown.

Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, who chairs the Auckland Development Committee and is leading the council’s work on future planning rules says: "We are currently working through a statutory process around the Unitary Plan rules that will govern planning decisions in Auckland. We have a long way, and a lot of discussion, to go before final decisions are made about those rules in 2016.
“We are very aware that Aucklanders are passionate about this issue and we share that passion, as well as being mindful of the role the ports play in our region’s economy. This is absolutely front of mind for us in this process.”

The Mayor says the terms of reference for the study will be developed in consultation with councilors and wider stakeholders.

ENDS

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