Auckland City Council
Media release

6 August 2009

Auckland City Council submission supports SH20 Waterview alignment – with conditions

Auckland City Council’s submission on New Zealand Transport Agency’s proposed SH20 Waterview alignment supports the project on the condition it includes steps to mitigate and enhance the affected areas.

Council has included measures in its submission to help ensure the project is consistent with the city’s long-term objectives and meets local needs.

A number of Waterview residents and interested parties presented their views at today’s meeting of council’s Transport Committee.

The council has consistently supported the early completion of the SH20 Waterview connection, and in recent weeks has been analysing NZTA’s latest proposal for a new $1.4b alignment, which is a mix of road, tunnel and construction methods.

The council will be making its submission as part of NZTA’s consultation process. The transport agency will meet in late August to consider all submissions before finalising its plans.

Chair of the council’s Transport Committee, councillor Ken Baguley says the completion of the connection, will – if carefully implemented – indirectly contribute towards the council meeting its strategic goals for the city.

 
“Like the rest of the community, we’re awaiting further detail from NZTA about its proposal, but our bottom line is we want to ensure that affected residents and groups are fairly compensated. Additionally, best practice urban design needs to implemented, community linkages taken into account, high quality open spaces developed and significant steps to meet community outcomes.

“We’re determined to see this project integrate as well as possible with community and city-wide needs, and accordingly have incorporated a series of mitigation and enhancement measures into our submission.”

These measures are:

That all affected residents and the wider community are fairly recompensed
Reconstruction of Great North Rd as a boulevard with bus and cycle lanes
Careful treatment of tunnel air emissions with ventilation stacks located away from sensitive areas, and cleaning/fitering of emissions
Quality open space replacement and enhancement at Waterview and through Owairaka/Mt Albert
Protection and enhancement of Oakley Creek
Providing for built form along the planned Richardson Rd bridge edges and Hendon Ave
Local access along and across the corridor
Ensuring that international best practise in catering for light spill is incorporated.

The report to the council’s transport committee also highlights a number of other issues which need to be addressed as part of the Waterview connection:

Open space fragmentation and quality impacts along Hendon Ave (including the need to realign Oakley Creek in several places).
A need to integrate the design with the future rail line through the same area
Reduce community severance by creating new crossing points
Ensure that the transport corridor supports Stoddard town centre’s future development.

Ends

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