Before a Board of Inquiry Basin Bridge Proposal Under the Resource

Before a Board of Inquiry Basin Bridge Proposal Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (the Act) In the matter of a Board of Inquiry appointed under section 149J of the Act to consider the New Zealand Transport Agency's notice of requirement and five resource consent applications for the Basin Bridge Proposal. Statement of Evidence of Elizabeth Janice McCredie Urban Design for the Mount Victoria Residents Association (MVRA) Dated 17th December 2013 CON ANASTASIOU Telephone: (04) 499 4655 Facsimile: (04) 472 1899 Barristers and Solicitors PO BOX 10779 Solicitor C, Anastasiou DX: SP23550 Wellington STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF JAN MCCREDIE FOR THE MOUNT VICTORIA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION [MVRA] CONTENTS Introduction 3 Executive Summary 5 The Proposal 6 Context 8 Wellington 2040 Spatial Structure Plan + 15 Wellington Towards 2040: Smart Capital Space Syntax 18 “City Centre Movement Infrastructure Analysis” 2011 International Best Practice 18 The Issues 20 Review Richard Reid Proposal 32 Conclusions 33 Recommendation 34 Annexure 1 35 Annexure 2 39 2 INTRODUCTION 1) My name is Elizabeth Janice McCredie [known as Jan McCredie] I am a practicing urban designer based in Sydney NSW Australia Qualifications as an Expert 2) I hold the following tertiary qualifications i) Master of Urban Design, University of Sydney NSW Australia ii) Diploma of Town and Country Planning, University of Sydney NSW Australia iii) Master of Architecture, University of Sydney NSW Australia iv) Bachelor of Architecture, University of Sydney NSW Australia 3) The area of expertise upon which I have drawn for the preparation of this evidence is strategic urban design. This is the design methodology of the Wellington 2040 Spatial Structure Plan and the area in which I have focused in my career including my teaching. It is particularly relevant to the Basin Bridge Proposal 4) I am a: i) Life Fellow of Australian Institute of Architecture. (AIA) 2010 ii) Member Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) 2003 – present 5) I am the recipient of numerous urban design awards including: i) 2010 The Marion Mahoney Griffin Award Australian Institute of Architects ii) 2005 PIA Strategic Urban Design National Award, Coastal Design Guidelines iii) 2006 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Auburn Public Domain Framework iv) 2001 RAPI Planning Scholarship Research Mixed Use and Residential Subdivision v) 2001 RAPI Presidents Award Safer by Design vi) 2001 RAPI Town Beach DCP -Port Macquarie vii) 2000 Australian Property Industry (API) Award Public Practice viii) 2000 RAPI Gold Medal Award Can You Legislate for Good Urban Outcomes? ix) 1998 IMM The SMH Management Excellence Awards Focussing on Customer Service x) 1997 Australian Council of Building Design Prof. Urban Design in Australia Pyrmont Point xi) PIA National Urban Design Award Pyrmont Point Urban Design Strategy and Master Plan 6) I currently provide design expertise to Local Government Planning Design Panels in North Sydney Council; Parramatta City Council; Waverly Council and Liverpool City Council NSW Australia. I run the Urban and Regional Urban Design Course at the University of New South Wales [UNSW]. I am a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney and UNSW and a Land and Environment Court Expert 7) Key relevant highlights of my career are: 8) Wellington | Manager City Strategy + Urban Design, Wellington City Council, NZ 9) Responsible for: i) The Wellington 2040 Spatial Structure Plan [SSP] [the predecessor of Wellington Towards 2040:Smart Capital] The SSP linked the design process to the Space Syntax “City Centre Movement Infrastructure Analysis” 2011. The objective was to establish the direction for the 3 built form and to integrate the built form with the movement strategy including the location of public transport. ii) Public Domain Manual and Lighting Strategy 10) Manukau |Group Manager Urban Design, Manukau City Council, NZ 11) Responsible for: i) Manukau City CBD Spatial Structure Plan and Built Form Controls ii) Manukau City CBD Public Domain and Technical Manual iii) Flat Bush Master Plan. iv) Mangere Town Centre Plan v) Introduction of Cultural Mapping vi) Wiri Spatial Structure Plan (under development) vii) Residential Apartment Design Guidelines viii) Manukau CBD Health Impact Assessment ix) Liaison with the Community; Transport and Traffic Authorities; Rail + Airport Authorities x) Manukau Design Group: Urban Design Panel, June 2007-2009 12) Director, Urban Design Advisory Service, Planning NSW, Sydney NSW Australia 13) Responsible for: i) Implemented the N.S.W Premier’s Design Quality Program including SEPP 65 ii) The Residential Flat Design Pattern Book iii) Prepared final draft the Residential Flat Design Code [RFDC] iv) Completed 150 urban design projects; Development Control Plans [DCPs]; master plans; urban design reviews. 14) Publications 15) UDAS i) The Residential Flat Design Pattern Book ii) The Residential Flat Design Code [RFDC] iii) Mixed Use in Urban Centres: Guidelines for Mixed Use Development iv) Residential Subdivision: A handbook for the design and planning of new neighbourhoods. v) The NSW Coastal Design Guidelines 16) OTHER i) The Design Dividend [with Prof Peter Droege] Code of Conduct 17) I have read the Code of Conduct for Expert Witnesses [Sec 5 of the Environment Court Practice Note] I agree to comply with this Code of Conduct. The evidence is within my area of Expertise except where I state that I am relying on what I have been told by another person. I have not omitted to consider material facts known to me that might alter or detract from the opinions that I express. 4 18) The data, information and facts and assumptions that I have considered in forming my opinions are set out in that part of the evidence in which the opinions are expressed. The land areas I have used are approximate and are scaled from drawings 19) The literature or other material that I have used or relied upon in support of my opinions is referenced in the body of my evidence. The New Zealand Urban Design Protocol 20) I commence my evidence with a brief reference to the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol [UDP] This identifies aspects of quality urban design that have informed the preparation of my evidence. The UDP was prepared for the Ministry of the Environment. 21) The UDP identifies 7 essential qualities that create quality urban outcomes. These are: i) Context ii) Character iii) Choice iv) Connections v) Creativity vi) Custodianship vii) Collaboration 22) These qualities are a combination of design skills; design processes and outcomes. Although they are all important in evaluating the Basin Bridge Proposal in Wellington CBD the response to context is of particular relevance. Ambit of my Evidence 23) In this matter I am representing the Mount Victoria Residents Association [MVRA] 24) The nature of the urban design issues I address overlaps with expert evidence in the fields of heritage + historical development [Government House; the National War Memorial, the Basin Reserve; the Crèche and the street pattern]; crime prevention and safety [CPTED]; economic performance related to city design and movement systems [Space Syntax] 25) For the purpose of preparing this evidence I have undertaken recent site visits to Wellington City; the Basin Reserve and the surrounding precinct. I have reviewed the various proposal documents, visuals and Technical Reports. 26) I lived in Wellington City from September 2009 – October 2010. At that time I was Manager City Strategy + Urban Design, Wellington City Council. I prepared the brief for and oversaw the development of the Wellington 2040 Spatial Structure Plan [SSP] and the Space Syntax “City Centre Movement Infrastructure Analysis” 2011 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 27) This evidence briefly outlines the proposal and the suggested measures of mitigation of the New Zealand Transport Association [NZTA] for a grade separated traffic management solution at the Basin Reserve Wellington known as the Basin Bridge Proposal. 5 28) Under the heading of Context the evidence provides a general description of Wellington and the Basin Reserve precinct. This includes the Government House; The National War Memorial; The Basin Reserve Roundabout; The Basin Reserve Cricket and sporting venue; the related street systems including Kent and Cambridge Terrace and the surrounding suburbs. 29) Reference is made the method and intent of the Wellington 2040 Spatial Structure Plan and the Wellington Towards 2040: Smart Capital. The SSP linked the design process to the Space Syntax “City Centre Movement Infrastructure Analysis” 2011. Questions are raised by the later document and the international best practice material as to the validity of introducing grade separated roads into cities. The vision of Wellington is a walkable compact city that requires better integration of traffic management; 30) The critical evidence is related to The Issues. This section outlines the impacts of the proposal on Wellington City and on the Basin Reserve precinct .The impacts are physical, culture and social. They are negative, varied and extensive. As this is urban design evidence the physical impacts are described with the understanding that they affect the cultural and social. 31) Wellington city in the south is severed from the north. The memorable entry to the city losses its “wow” factor The Roundabout is no longer the major distributing movement system between north and south, east and west .The formality and power of Kent and Cambridge Terrace linking harbour to open space and beyond is lost. Most of the significant view shafts and view sheds are lost. Two of the nations cultural symbols, Government House and the National War Memorial have reduced presence. The Reserve Basin as a space, a venue, a cricketing icon and an historic place becomes no more than an oval beside a motorway .The Basin Bridge takes approximately 11,000 square metres of land additional to the current road layout and has direct physical and visual impacts on the surrounding suburbs. 32) The evidence acknowledges that the designers Athfield Architects and Wraight Associates have attempted to address the many issues introduced by the Basin Bridge Proposal but concludes that the concept of the proposal is fundamentally flawed.

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