Wesley College Trust Board and Grafton Downs Limited on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (‘The Unitary Plan”)
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Before the Commissioners of the Auckland Unitary Plan Hearings Panel IN THE MATTER: of the Resource Management Act 1991 and the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act AND 2013 IN THE MATTER OF a submission by Wesley College Trust Board and Grafton Downs Limited on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (‘the Unitary Plan”) Submission Number 4767 Topics 017 RUB South – Paerata North. STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF JANINE ANNE BELL Dated 11 November 2015 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Grafton Downs Limited (“GDL”), in conjunction with the Wesley College Trust Board (“WCTB”), own approximate 320 hectares of land at Paerata North bounded by State Highway 22 to the north and west (Karaka and Paerata Roads respectively) and the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) rail line to the east (the ‘Wesley Land’). GDL is comprised of a 50:50 shareholding between the Wesley College Trust Board and the PACT 2086 Trust, a trust of the Methodist Church. A locality and ownership map is included as Appendix A. 1.2 The majority of the Wesley College land is included in the Wesley College Special Housing Area (Wesley College SHA) under the provisions of the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act 2013 (HASHA Act). Pursuant to the provisions of the HASHA Act, GDL lodged and was granted consent for a private plan variation (PV 3) request that has rezoned the Wesley College SHA from Future Urban Zone and Special Purpose School zone to Mixed Housing Urban and Local Centre zones. In addition the land was identified as a precinct (the ‘Franklin 2 Precinct’), with its own objectives and policies and tailored set of activity and development controls. A copy of the effective PV 3 provisions is attached as Appendix B. 1.3 A small part of the WCTB/GDL landholding (Part lot 3, DP 7497), was excluded from the SHA area. A copy of the certificate of title for the subject land is included in Appendix C. The only reason Part Lot 3 DP 7497 was excluded from the Wesley SHA was that it was not located within in the Proposed Unitary Plan’s RUB and as a consequence could not be considered for inclusion in the Wesley College SHA and subsequent PV 3 request. The area was however, included in the early GDL master planning work for the Wesley College SHA and has been fully assessed within the specialist technical assessment reports prepared to support PV 3. A copy of an early masterplan drawing developed for the full Wesley landholding is included in Appendix F. In addition the table of contents to the Plan Variation application is included in Appendix G. The Table of Contents outlines the comprehensive analysis and assessment work that was undertaken in support of the PV 3 application to rezone the Wesley land for urban development. 1.4 The WCTB and GDL submission (no. 4767) to the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (“the Unitary Plan”) seeks to have the balance of the Wesley College land included within the 1 A12277_JBe_003_PAUP_RUB_Ext_Evidence_20151110 Rural Urban Boundary (RUB), rezoned Mixed Housing Urban and included in the Franklin 2 Precinct. The requested changes to the Unitary Plan maps sought in response to decision requested in the submission are set out in Appendix D, along with the consequential amendments to the Franklin 2 Precinct Plans. 1.5 The assessments undertaken by the GDL’s specialist team in support of PV 3, found the Wesley College land to be a somewhat unremarkable area and this description applies equally to the balance lot. 1.6 The inclusion of the balance of the Wesley land area within the Mixed Housing Urban Zone and the Franklin 2 Precinct will promote the achievement of a quality compact urban form. The Franklin 2 Precinct is consistent with clause B2.1 of the Unitary Plan (Providing for growth in a quality compact urban form) which includes policies that seek to concentrate urban activities within the RUB1 and to enable higher residential densities and the efficient use of land in neighbourhoods in the following circumstances: “a. within and around centres and within moderate walking distances from the city, metropolitan, town and local centres b. in areas close to the frequent public transport routes and facilities c. in close proximity to existing or proposed large open spaces, community facilities, education and healthcare facilities d. adequately serviced by existing physical infrastructure or where infrastructure can be efficiently upgraded.” These circumstance apply equally to the balance of the Wesley land as they do to the land within the Franklin 2 Precinct. 1.7 Policy 2 of Clause B2.1 sets out the circumstances in which higher residential densities should be enabled. The neighbourhood design statement prepared in support of the Franklin 2 Precinct provisions details the overall movement network proposed within the precinct, its interrelationship with the open space network, and the likely land uses that will be provided for in each of the distinct neighbourhoods within the precinct. The density 1 Policy 1, Clause B2.1, Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan 2 A12277_JBe_003_PAUP_RUB_Ext_Evidence_20151110 of residential activity within the neighbourhoods; has been informed by landform, natural features, views, and proximity to transport nodes such as the envisaged rail station/bus interchange. The majority of the precinct is anticipated to be medium density, with the densest area of development envisaged in the core of the precinct, due to proximate location to the proposed local centre, central open space, and proposed rail station/bus interchange. The density of residential development reduces towards the northern and southern edges of the precinct. Part Lot 3 DP 7497 would be included within the lower density area i.e. largely 1-2 storey detached dwellings with lot sizes in the range of 400m2- 450m2. 1.8 The Structure Plan work for Franklin 2 Precinct and associated technical reports have demonstrated that the provision of infrastructure to the balance of the Wesley land is feasible. The area does not included any scheduled areas of environmental, heritage, Maori, natural character or landscape values. Further, it does not include any commercially viable mineral resources or elite soils. The change in the boundary will avoid areas prone to natural hazards. Part Lot 3 DP 7497 is located adjacent to the NIMT Railway line and the National Grid Electricity Corridor, however any potential conflicts with development occurring in proximity to this infrastructure would be dealt with through the application of the buffer open space corridors included in the precinct provisions and the Overlay provisions of the Unitary Plan. The RUB, Zone and Precinct boundary will follow the property boundary. 1.9 The balance area has also been assessed against the Auckland Unitary Plan Hearings Panel’s (AUPIHP) “Interim Guidance – Best practice approaches to re-zoning, precincts and changes to the Rural Urban Boundary (RUB)”. This assessment supports both the requested inclusion of this site within the RUB, its rezoning to Mixed Housing Urban and inclusion in the Franklin 2 Precinct. Such an inclusion and rezoning will enable the efficient provision of development capacity and land supply for residential development. 1.10 The balance area of the Wesley land, being Part Lot 3 DP7497, satisfies both the requirements of the Unitary Plan and the AUPIHP Interim Guidance and should be included within the RUB, rezoned Mixed Housing Urban and included in the Franklin 2 Residential A sub-precinct. 3 A12277_JBe_003_PAUP_RUB_Ext_Evidence_20151110 2. INTRODUCTION Qualifications and experience 2.1 My name is Janine Anne Bell. I am an Associate Partner and Planner with Boffa Miskell Limited, a multi-disciplinary consultancy providing planning, design and ecological advice. I have a Bachelor of Town Planning degree from the University of Auckland gained in 1983. I have been a full member of the New Zealand Planning Institute since 1986. I am an accredited chairperson under the Ministry for the Environment’s Making Good Decisions programme. I am also a member of the Auckland Urban Design Panel. I have had considerable experience in the preparation and review of district plans and plan changes and plan variations. A summary statement of my experience is set out in Appendix I. 2.2 Since early 2013, I have been engaged by the Wesley College Trust Board (WCTB) and Grafton Downs Limited (GDL) (“the Applicant”) to provide planning and resource management advice in relation to the Wesley College land at Paerata North to seek its inclusion within the Rural Urban Boundary and its identification as a Special Housing Area. This has included assistance in the preparation of submissions to the Draft Auckland Plan, the Draft Auckland Unitary Plan, the Draft Pukekohe Area Plan and the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. In particular I have taken the lead role in preparing the proposed plan variation request for the Wesley College SHA. This has included the preparation of the Franklin 2 Precinct Structure Plan report, drafting the content of the Proposed Plan Variation Request - Franklin 2 Precinct, the accompanying s32 assessment report and the Schedule 4 Assessment of Environmental Effects. I have also been involved in a number of consultation meetings/sessions with the Council, Franklin Local Board members, adjacent Infrastructure providers (i.e. New Zealand Transport Agency, Auckland Transport, Transpower) and adjacent landowners. I am familiar with the site and the surrounding area. Expert Witness Code of Conduct 2.3 I have been provided with a copy of the Code of Conduct for Expert Witnesses contained in the Environment Court’s Consolidated Practice Note 2014. I have read and agree to comply with that Code. This evidence is within my area of expertise, except where I state that I am relying upon the specified evidence of another person. I have not omitted to 4 A12277_JBe_003_PAUP_RUB_Ext_Evidence_20151110 consider material facts known to me that might alter or detract from the opinions that I express.