Media Release
Councillor Dick Quax

25 April 2013

Blunders Make Councils Land Capacity Report Useless

A review of Auckland Council’s “Capacity for Growth Study 2012” has brought to light major flaws in its analysis.

The Council report released earlier this month claims that are an extra 272,000 residential dwellings able to be accommodated within the existing urban limits.

A peer review of that report by Studio D4 has highlighted some alarming miscalculations on the part of the Council.

Cr Dick Quax who has questioned the accuracy of Council’s land capacity figures said he was alarmed by the inaccuracy of the Council’s report.

“Patrick Fontein of SD4 reviewed the Council’s work and found amazingly that land included for residential intensification within the Orakei Ward by the Council has included, Dilworth School on Market Road, Kings Prep on Remuera Road, St Kents Prep School on Shore Road, billionaire Graeme Hart’s property on Riddell Road and other parks, schools and rest homes.”

“In addition Council has included for intensive residential development sections with major slopes, steep valleys and flood plains.”

“Surprisingly, it has missed the three largest residential intensifications options in Orakei at Orakei Point, Ellerslie Racecourse and land sold by Selwyn College and rezoned by the legacy Auckland City Council for intensive housing.”

The same blunders have been made in the Otara-Papatoetoe Ward where the Middlemore/Auckland Golf Course, the Grange Golf Course, De La Salle College and large church grounds have all been included as land marked for intensive housing development.

“There are similar errors relevant to business/industrial land. Land that is shown as vacant is presently already being used.”

“I have been saying for two years now that work needs to be done showing exactly what land is available for residential development potential within the existing urban limits. It appears that we now have that work but it is virtually useless showing the amount of land available for intensification has been over stated by as much as 800% in some areas. This is one of the reasons some of my Council colleagues and I are asking for the process of notifying the Unitary Plan to be slowed down.”

“We owe to the people of Auckland that we get a great Unitary Plan that we can all live with.”

ENDS

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