6 July 2016

Port Future Study report received

Today, the council’s Auckland Development Committee looked at some of the biggest issues facing the city, including the Port Future Study recommendations and agreeing to the council’s submission on the proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development.

The following is a digest of decisions made.

The agenda is available on Auckland Council’s website and minutes will be added once confirmed. This meeting was also webcast online and items are available on demand.

Items 1- 10 were administrative items.

Item 16: Port Future Study

The committee received the recommendations of the independent Port Future Study Consensus Working Group on the long-term strategy to accommodate Auckland’s demand for sea-based freight and cruise.

After discussion on the next steps the committee decided to refer the recommendations, report and supporting consultant’s report to the incoming council to consider after October 2016.

Conducted over the past 12 months, the study group’s membership included business, industry, mana whenua, and environmental advocacy and community groups with diverse perspectives on port issues. The study was independent of the council.

More information on the Port Future Study and its recommendations can be found at http://www.portfuturestudy.co.nz/scope/ and the committee agenda is available on the council website.

Other items of business considered by the committee today included:

Item 11 and 12: Approval of Plan Changes 148 (Matakana Country Park) and of Proposed (Private) Plan Change 179 (Rezoning 47 and 61 Dawson Road, Snells Beach) to the Auckland Council District Plan (Rodney Section)

The committee agreed to both plan changes without further discussion.

Item 13: Northern Corridor Improvement Project - Notice of Requirement Resource Consent applications and Environmental Protection Authority process

The council has been asked by the Environmental Protection Authority to recommend what process should be followed for considering notice of requirement resource consent applications for the Northern Corridor project.

The committee recommended that the proposal should be referred to a Board of Inquiry. The council will prepare a list of potential Board of Inquiry members with expertise in engineering, planning, urban design, landscape architecture and tikanga Māori, should the Minister of the Environment refer the Northern Corridor Improvements Project to a Board of Inquiry.

Item 14: East-West Link Project - Notice of Requirement, Resource Consents and Environmental Protection Authority Process

The Environmental Protection Authority, on behalf of the Minister of the Environment, has also asked the council to recommend what process should be followed for considering notice of requirement and resource consent applications for the East-West link project.

As with the above item, the committee recommended that the proposal should be referred to a Board of Inquiry.

Item 15: Submission on the proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity

The committee approved the council’s draft submission on the proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity.

Overall, council’s draft submission is supportive of the National Policy Statement as it acknowledges the importance of land-use and integrated infrastructure co-ordination and applies a short, medium and long-term framework that also aligns with various council planning timeframes.

The draft submission does note that there is a weak link between the National Policy Statement’s purposes, objectives and policies, and how it addresses housing affordability. The council advocates for a wider suite of tools to address the housing affordability gap.

The submissions period closes on 15 July 2016. Final decisions on the National Policy Statement will be made in October 2016, noting that the Housing Accord and Special Housing Areas legislation will expire in mid-September 2016.

For more information see the council’s draft submission in the committee agendaalong with the attached proposed National Policy Statement consultation document.

ENDS

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