Improving sight and sites of intensive housing

North Shore City Council this week released its decision on public submissions to the city's District Plan, Plan Change 1: Improving the design and location of intensive residential developments.

The council says the community's input will improve the look and location of future intensive housing in the city.

Tony Holman, who chairs North Shore City's strategy and finance committee which launched the plan change last year, says the council and community share the same goal of getting better environmental results from intensive housing.

"By changing our District Plan in this way, we want to ensure that good locations - with access to services and facilities - are chosen by developers, and that developments fit well into neighbourhoods and provide quality living environments for residents," he says.

Fellow councillor Gary Holmes, who chairs the city's regulatory and hearings committee, agrees.

He says public submissions have resulted in a range of improvements to the plan change, which was originally notified in July 2002.

"Thirty-five individuals and groups made submissions to the plan change, which the committee considered in great detail," says Councillor Holmes.

Submissions to the plan change led to various modifications, most significantly:

* Improvements to the policies and assessment criteria applying to all developments, to include some matters not previously covered, such as stormwater management, and to clarify others;

* Better ways to assess developments served by private roads, to try to achieve a standard more akin to a public roading environment; and

* The introduction of a specific visitor parking standard to remove the present uncertainty as to what the council's minimum requirement is.

Submitters have a right to appeal to the Environment Court. There is 15 working days to do so from the date of receipt of the Decision Notice.

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