Te Whau Pathway Social Impact Assessment
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Proposal Te Whau Pathway Social Impact Assessment Prepared for Auckland Council Prepared by Beca Limited 3 April 2019 Te Whau Pathway Social Impact Assessment Revision History Revision Nº Prepared By Description Date 1 Jess Rose/Sarah MacCormick Draft for internal review (Amelia) 26/8/18 2 Jess Rose/Sarah MacCormick Draft for internal review (Ailsa/Cushla) 28/8/18 3 Jess Rose/Sarah MacCormick Draft for client review 30/11/18 4 Sarah MacCormick Second draft for client review 15/3/19 4 Sarah MacCormick Final for lodgement 3/4/19 Document Acceptance Action Name Signed Date Prepared by Jess Rose/ Sarah 3/4/19 MacCormick Reviewed by Amelia Linzey 3/4/19 Approved by Cushla Loomb 3/4/19 on behalf of Beca Limited Te Whau Pathway Social Impact Assessment Contents 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Purpose and scope of this report 2 1.2 Assumptions 2 1.3 Project description 2 2 Assessment Methodology 4 2.1 Preparation for this Report 4 2.2 SIA Process and Framework 4 2.3 Methodology overview 4 3 Statutory and Policy Framework for considering social impacts 8 3.1 Statutory parameters 8 3.2 Regional and Local Plan context 8 4 Existing Social Environment 10 4.1 Introduction 10 4.2 Wider Community Area 10 4.3 Community Areas 13 4.4 Community Area 1 15 4.5 Community Area 2 18 4.6 Community Area 3 20 4.7 Community Area 4 24 4.8 Neighbourhood Areas 26 5 Social Impact Assessment 27 5.1 Introduction 27 5.2 Potential positive Wider Community Area impacts 27 5.3 Potential social impacts – construction 29 5.4 Potential social impacts – operation 32 6 Conclusion 35 6.1 Construction Impacts 35 6.2 Operation Impacts 35 8 Bibliography 37 Appendices Appendix A Community facilities map Beca // 15 March 2019 4217284 // NZ1-15458745-52 0.52 // page 1 Te Whau Pathway Social Impact Assessment 1 Introduction 1.1 Purpose and scope of this report This Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is one of several specialist reports prepared for Auckland Council’s Te Whau Pathway Project (the project). Its purpose is to inform the Assessment of Effects on the Environment Report (AEE) and to support the resource consent application required for the development of Te Whau Pathway. This report assesses the potential construction and operational social impacts of the project. The assessment is based on the Scheme Design Drawings for the project provided in the AEE. The purpose of this report is to: Identify and describe the existing social environment; Describe the social consequences and potential impacts of the Project (both from construction and operation); Recommend potential measures, as appropriate to avoid, remedy or mitigate potential adverse social impacts (including any management plans required); and Present an overall conclusion of the level of potential adverse social impacts of the project assuming that the recommended measures are implemented. 1.2 Assumptions This report has been based on the drawings and the construction methodology for the works provided in the AEE report. This SIA is an assessment on the information available at the time of preparing the report. Measures are recommended to address potential social impacts identified for the project. Depending on the implementation of these measures, the assessed impacts of the project will change (reduce in scale). This again, will be reviewed as the final scheme design and construction management regime is finalised. Specific management measures, particularly in respect of managing design and implementation details seek to provide a mechanism to consider and respond to potential social impacts arising from subsequent design development. 1.3 Project description Te Whau Pathway is a shared path that will link the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. The principle main alignment is approximately 11.8km with 3.2 km of connecting paths, a total length of 15km. The path will largely follow the western side of the Whau River and will be designed to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Te Whau Pathway will provide a high-quality shared path that is safe and almost entirely segregated from vehicular traffic. It will also provide connections to the wider cycle network including the New Lynn/ Avondale rail link and the North Western motorway cycle path. The project started as the Whau West Greenway in 2011/12 a concept put forward by Whau River Catchment Trust and the Greenways Project Inc. It was presented and approved in principle by the Whau Local Board. A similar concept was promoted in 2013 through a HOOP-LA research project called Muddy Urbanism. The river edge pathway idea started to gain traction and in 2014 the Whau Coastal Walkway Environmental Trust was established by a group of locals keen to bring the vision into being. Beca // 15 March 2019 4217284 // NZ1-15458745-52 0.52 // page 2 Te Whau Pathway Social Impact Assessment The project is a collaborative partnership project between the Whau Coastal Walkway Environmental Trust, Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, the Whau and Henderson-Massey Local Boards, Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. The Whau catchment is a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial development, historically the Whau river has a long history of human transportation. Māori for centuries used the Whau as an important route for transporting waka between the two coasts of Te Ika a Maui. For Tangata Whenua, the water has significant spiritual values especially revealed in its alternative Maori name Waitahurangi (“Waters of Tahurangi”). Through the project and subsequent development of the pathway, there will be opportunity to share both the local and cultural stories of the Whau river and surrounding catchment through education and interpretative signage. The construction of the pathway will deliver 3m wide concrete paths on land and 4m wide boardwalks through the coastal marine area. The overall pathway will connect 33 reserves, esplanade reserves, sports parks and roads. The pathway will also connect the various communities of Green Bay, New Lynn, Avondale, Kelston, Glendene and Te Atatu as well as a number of schools. At the beginning of 2017, Auckland Transport sought public feedback on the scheme plan and preliminary design for the Te Whau Pathway Route. In June 2017, the scheme plan and preliminary design was completed. The pathway is being built in stages. Construction for the earlier stages began in 2015. Between 2015 and 2016 pathways were completed at Archibald, Ken Maunder, Olympic Park, McLeod park. Roberts Field and Tiroroa Reserve were completed in 2018. To date, 3.9km of pathway has been constructed. Just under 700m of pathway at Rizal/Sandy Lane is currently in detail design phase to be delivered in FY19/20 and is not included in this resource consent application. This Resource Consent application applies to the remaining approximately 10.4km of path, comprising approximately 7.1km of proposed boardwalk and 3.3km of proposed footpath. During 2017, a concept design for the remainder of the pathway was undertaken. The dates below outline the series of events: March / April 2017 – Public feedback on the scheme plan and preliminary design; June 2017 – Scheme plan and preliminary design complete; 2017 / 2018 – Completed construction of paths in Roberts Field, Tiroroa Reserve; 2017 / 2018 – Planned construction of paths in Queen Mary Reserve (application no. LUC60307203) and Rizal Reserve (application no. LUC60307205); 2018 / 2019 – Current resource consent application prepared and applied for the remaining sections for Te Whau Pathway (including coastal marine area boardwalk). On completion the pathway will feature strategically placed seating, viewing and rest areas and art work. Weed control and community plantings of native plant species will also be delivered through the project. The development of the pathway will be a significant link in Auckland’s network of cycling and walking routes and will aim to improve community connection to and appreciation of the Whau River. Beca // 15 March 2019 4217284 // NZ1-15458745-52 0.52 // page 3 Te Whau Pathway Social Impact Assessment 2 Assessment Methodology 2.1 Preparation for this Report The preparation for this report has included: A site visit to the project area and surrounds (public land); Review of other technical reports including noise and vibration, transport, landscape and visual and proposed construction methodology; Review of previous stakeholder and community engagement (led by Auckland Council) between 2015 and 2018, including a public consultation period in March and April 2017; Review of aerial photography to identify properties with boat access, and any properties near the proposed boardwalk; and Meetings by the SIA reporting team with some of the potentially affected landowners (over March and August 2018). 2.2 SIA Process and Framework The International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines a Social Impact Assessment as: ‘…the process of analysing, monitoring and managing the intended and unintended social consequences, both positive and negative, of planned interventions (policies, programs, plans, projects) and any social change processes invoked by those interventions’. The IAIA notes that SIA can be undertaken in different contexts and for different purposes, but that the following principle is important across all SIA: ‘The improvement of social wellbeing of the wider community should be explicitly recognised as an objective of planned interventions and as such should be an indicator considered by any form of assessment. However, awareness of the differential distribution of impacts