No transparency in National Policy on Urban Development
Everyone needs to be concerned about the draft National
Policy Statement
on Urban Development that the Ministry
for the Environment has released.
It is incompatible with
the spirit of transparency and inclusiveness.
Those living in inner-city neighbourhoods need to be particularly concerned.
The summary that has been released (seeking
submissions by 11 October) is
so general that it diverts
attention from substantive issues. Examples
are
compromising the definition of amenity values and allowing
unnotified
high rise, high density development before new
district plans are in
place. Little if anything has been
discussed by the media.
The complexity and technocratic
nature of the document is a further
barrier to both the
media and the general public realising its
implications.
There are acronyms galore. One overriding impression
is
that those so far involved in drafting the document
have an overwhelming
faith in the ability of the market
to resolve the impediments to creating
adequate housing
for all New Zealanders.
Other Ministries must be
consulted, and the deadline for submissions must
be
extended to February to enable the public to find out the
implications
of these proposals and to contribute to
achieving a more balanced national
policy
statement.
This is an issue that calls for close scrutiny
by the media. It will
require serious drilling down. It
abounds with obfuscations and
the
undisclosed.