566 Volume 2: Assessment of Environmental Effects 37 Planning Assessment of the Project Overview The objectives and policies that are relevant to the Project comprise of national, regional and district planning documents. An assessment of the Project against the relevant objectives, policies, and other relevant matters, is provided in this Chapter. The principal conclusions that are reached are: . the Project as part of the Wellington Northern Corridor Road of National Significance forms a part of the Government’s initiative to improve the transportation network; . the Project will ease congestion through the Basin Reserve at the interface between the CBD and the surrounding suburbs and contributes to regional travel time savings for SH traffic between Wellington Airport and Levin; . the Project will improve travel time reliability, safety and route security while enhancing the movement of freight into and out of Wellington’s CBD, to and from the southern and eastern suburbs including the Wellington Regional Hospital and Wellington Airport; . the Project will improve travel time and safety by public transport, cycling and walking, and it will facilitate further planned network wide public transport improvements to proceed in accordance with the WRS and WCC Growth Strategy policies and objectives for future growth; . overall the Project is consistent with the objectives and policies of the relevant national and regional statutory planning documents, and is consistent with the WCC Urban Development Strategy and 2040 documents; . the Project is consistent with the transport related policies of the Regional Policy Statement, the Regional Land Transport Strategy and is not inconsistent with the Wellington City District Plan; . the Project will enable communities at a local, regional and national level to provide for their social, economic and cultural wellbeing through the overall transport and related amenity benefits being proposed by the Project; . the Project will meet the growing transportation needs of the Region and Wellington City; . the Project will sustain the potential of natural and physical resources for future generations, and safeguard the life supporting capacity of air, soils, water and ecosystems; . the Project causes localised adverse visual and urban design effects that are unavoidable. Visual and heritage effects on the Basin Reserve are mitigated by a combination of a new building under the bridge and vegetation; . during construction there will be localised traffic, noise and vibration effects. The introduction of 1ha of new and improved open space and a new building under the Basin Bridge Project Wellington Northern Corridor RoNS 567 Volume 2: Assessment of Environmental Effects bridge provide significantly improved amenity as well as an appropriate heritage setting for the recently relocated Home of Compassion Crèche (former). The significant reduction in traffic from roads on the southern, eastern and western boundaries of the Basin reduce noise and vibration levels and improve air quality, and also improve amenity; . as set out in Part H of this AEE, the adverse effects of the Project on the environment will be sufficiently avoided, remedied or mitigated to meet the sustainable management purpose of s 5 of the RMA; . the Project recognises and provides for the matters in s. 6 RMA; . the Project appropriately has responded to those matters in s. 7 RMA; . engagement with tangata whenua in developing the Project has taken into account the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in accordance with s. 8 RMA; and . the works proposed by the Project are necessary to achieve the objectives of the public work as set out in the Project objectives applicable to s171(1)(c). Consequently, the Project meets the statutory tests of the RMA and is consistent with its purpose and principles, particularly when the very significant transport benefits of the proposed new infrastructure are considered alongside the proposed measures to avoid, remedy and mitigate the adverse effects. To this end it is considered that the sustainable management purpose of the RMA will be achieved by confirming the designation and granting the resource consents sought. 37.1 Introduction This Chapter provides an assessment of the Project against the statutory framework. The assessment has been undertaken on a thematic basis referencing the Project and considering the contents of the statutory documents. The assessment is structured, as follows: . Transportation - how the Project fits with the multimodal transportation objectives for the region and for Wellington City; and Land use – how the Project fits into land use objectives for the region and for Wellington City including the direction for planned growth and development particularly the need to integrate land use and transportation; . Urban design and townscape – how the Project fits into the urban design and townscape of the Project Area; . Built heritage and culture – how the Project fits with built heritage (buildings and the Basin Reserve Area) and with cultural values; Basin Bridge Project Wellington Northern Corridor RoNS 568 Volume 2: Assessment of Environmental Effects . Open space/ recreation and ecology- how the Project fits with open space areas of the City as well as current and planned future recreational use. It also includes a brief comment on ecological matters; . Localised effects (air quality, noise, vibration, shading and overall amenity) – an examination of localised effects of the project on the community during construction and then during operation; . Social and economic well being – how does the Project fit with the local community and contribute to overall economic well-being; . Contaminated land (NES CSHH Land Use Consent) – how proposed construction works fit with the provisions of the NES CSHH; . Freshwater (land use consents, discharge permits and water permit) - how proposed construction works fit with regional policies for land and freshwater; and . Part 2 Matters – the assessment concludes with an assessment considering the Purpose and Principles of the Act in Part 2 of the RMA. The assessments provided below firstly consider statutory documents and then non- statutory documents. All matters from the statutory plans which are of relevance to the Project are also summarised in Chapter 7 of this AEE. The detailed objectives and policies are found in Technical Report 18 in Volume 3 of these documents. While the following assessments make specific reference to some provisions of the Plan by name/number, regard has been had to all the relevant provisions of the Statutory Plans. 37.2 Transportation and Land Use There are a number of objectives and policies contained in the statutory documents, as well as planning and funding programmes which are relevant to the Project in the context of transport and land use which are inextricably linked. The following RMA matters and other relevant matters assessed in this section are: RMA Matters . Wellington Regional Policy Statement; and . Wellington City District Plan. Other Relevant Matters . Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding (2012-2015); . National Land Transport Programme; . NZ Transport Strategy; . Wellington Regional Land Transport Strategy; Basin Bridge Project Wellington Northern Corridor RoNS 569 Volume 2: Assessment of Environmental Effects . Wellington Regional Land Transport Programme; . Wellington Regional Strategy; . Wellington Freight Plan; . Ngauranga to Airport Corridor Plan (N2ACP); . Wellington 2040; . Wellington City Urban Development Strategy (July 2006) (UDS); . WCC Transport Strategy; . WCC Walking Policy; and . WCC Cycling Policy. In the context of transport and for land use the combination of statutory and non-statutory documents is important. In seeking to integrate development of land and infrastructure planning the RPS and the WCDP provide the strategic direction and vision under the Act. The policy context for the Project is also informed by other strategic processes such as the RLTS. Additionally, the RPS and WCDP enable non-statutory documents to address specific issues for implementation. The following firstly assesses the RPS providing cross references to non-statutory documents where appropriate. This is then followed by an assessment of the WCDP, also with cross references provided as appropriate to other non-statutory documents. Other non-statutory documents are then considered. While the following assessments make specific reference to some provisions of the Plan by name/number, regard has been had to all the relevant provisions of the Statutory Plans listed in TR18. 37.2.1 Regional Policy Statement (RPS) The Regional Policy Statement is described as “an integral document in helping the Wellington Regional Council and the region’s city and district councils support the achievement of this region’s community outcomes1”. The 10 Community Outcomes include an outcome headed connected community which reads as follows, Connected community – Our connections and access are efficient, quick and easy – locally, nationally and internationally. Our communication networks, air and sea ports, roads and public transport systems enable us to link well with others, both within and outside the region.2 The RPS outlines Objectives and Policies which are designed to assist achieve the 10 Community Outcomes. An example within the RPS, is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by decreased reliance on the motor vehicle, and importantly for this Project 1 Section 2.3 p10 2 Section 2.3 p9