Minister of Finance misinformed or mistaken on Three Kings

Preamble – Minister of Finance Bill English on RNZ this morning (27.05.16) …

“A community group there who wants the quarry filled in and become a park instead of housing”

Three Kings Community Group wants quarry rehabilitated, better landscape outcome AND housing

“The Minister of Finance is misinformed or mistaken or both when he says the Three Kings community want a ‘park instead of housing’ at Three Kings,” says a community spokesperson Greg McKeown.

“The minister’s statement, similar to those of his colleague Minister Nick Smith, give the impression that the community is against development, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” says McKeown. “What the community is seeking is sensible rehabilitation of the quarry, but to be clear it also supports higher density housing for the site.”

“Fletcher has been quarrying in an urban environment for decades. Frankly, the community is glad that’s over, the quarry has held Three Kings back. But that does not mean that it’s anything goes now,” says McKeown.

“Fletcher proposes building 9 and 10-storey apartment blocks down the quarry faces and is beating the more houses for Auckland drum to push their proposal through. But building more houses in Auckland should not become a case of anything goes,” says McKeown.

The Puketepapa Local Board has engaged landscape architect and urban design expert Richard Reid who has developed an alternative plan which provides for similar housing density on the Fletcher land and more open space around the maunga.

The Fletcher proposal includes a land exchange with Council and that matter has been considered by a Council-appointed Land Exchange Panel, who on the issue of open space wrote:

“The community is not alone in expressing concerns about the Fletcher proposal, and that the Fletcher plan had not adequately considered the volcanic cone, open space, connectivity and alternatives that would also achieve a large increase in housing.”

ENDS

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