8 December 2015

New high quality town centres for Auckland

Nineteen Auckland areas earmarked for future high quality urban regeneration and heritage issues with King’s School headlined today’s Auckland Development Committee agenda.

The agenda is available on the Auckland Council website and minutes will be added once confirmed. This meeting was also webcast on the council’s website and items will be available on demand within 24 hours of the meeting.

The following is a digest of key decisions made. Items 1- 11 were administrative items with the exception of item 5.

Item 5: Public Input

A presentation was made by Ben Ross on Panuku Development Auckland's Transform class urban renewal programme with particular focus on the transform location of Manukau and a proposed model for full community input.

There were also several presentations from local community and heritage representatives about the demolition of the Hanna Block at King’s School.

Item 12: Priority Development Locations and Panuku Development Auckland Work Programme

The committee agreed to 19 locations across the city for significant long-term urban development and improvement as part of Panuku Development Auckland’s work programme.

This included endorsement of the “Transform” locations of Manukau Town Centre and Onehunga Town Centre and port as flagship projects for high quality urban regeneration. Also supported were the “unlock” locations in the town centres of Takapuna, Old Papatoetoe, Henderson, Ormiston and the city centre.

Councillors spoke in strong support and endorsement of the overall Panuku work programme and its focus on the range of development areas.

For more information on the development programme visit Our Auckland and Panuku Development Auckland’s website.

Item 13: Approach for making decisions on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP)

The committee were updated on the statutory process for council’s decision on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) in August 2016 and endorsed an approach for assessing the Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearing Panel’s recommendations on the PAUP.

The Independent Hearings Panel has a statutory deadline of 22 July 2016 to make its recommendations on the PAUP to the council. By law, the council then has 20 working days to make its final decisions on the PAUP based on these recommendations.

The committee was presented with three options for reviewing the Panel’s recommendations:

1. accept all of the Panel’s recommendations,

2. undertake a chapter-by-chapter assessment of the Panel’s recommendations,

3. focus on topics that significantly affect the implementation of the Auckland Plan.

The committee discussed the pros and cons of the three options, including the need to meet statutory timeframes for decision-making and the need for careful consideration of the recommendations while avoiding significant delays in making the PAUP operative.

The committee endorsed the recommended approach of prioritising the council’s response to the Independent Hearings Panel’s recommendations based on topics that will have a significant impact on the ability of the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan to deliver on the priorities in the Auckland Plan.

This approach was considered best to meet statutory deadlines and to provide consideration on significant topics of interest. It will result in a focus on the entire Regional Policy Statement and the following hearing topics:

i. Business

ii. Coastal: Port Precinct

iii. Historic heritage

iv. Infrastructure

v. Landscapes

vi. Mana Whenua sites

vii. Māori land and treaty

viii. Natural hazards and flooding

ix. Residential

x. Rural

xi. Rural Urban Boundary

xii. Significant Ecological Areas

xiii. Special character and pre-1944

xiv. Sustainable design

xv. Transport

xvi. Viewshafts

xvii. Waitakere Ranges

xviii. Zoning.

Item 14: Heritage Advisory Panel Recommendation - King’s School

The committee considered a request from council’s Heritage Advisory Panel to undertake a heritage evaluation on the 1936 Hanna Block building at the King’s School in Remuera.

Following a heritage impact assessment in August 2014, King’s School board decided to demolish the Hanna Block and rebuild on site due to the cost of earthquake strengthening. The current building does not meet their teaching requirements.

Consent to demolish the Hanna Block building was granted by the council in December 2014. The Hanna Block is not scheduled as a heritage building in either the Operative Auckland Council District Plan or the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP). Council is unaware of any nomination for heritage status being made to either the former Auckland City Council or the Auckland Council.

In December 2014 the school began demolition on site, with the Hanna Block clock tower being removed.

The committee heard that King’s School has legitimately sought and obtained a demolition order, and initiating the heritage order process could expose the council to significant financial and legal risks.

This includes a judicial review of its decision, Environment Court orders to compulsorily buy the Hanna Block building, financial costs and compensation having to be made by council, as well as considerable financial loss to the school.

The committee voted by 11 votes to seven to inform the Heritage Advisory Panel that it has considered its recommendation and has decided not to issue a notice of requirement for a heritage order for the Hanna Block.

For more information visit Our Auckland.

ENDS

© Scoop Media