10 May 2013

Mayor can now slow down his Unitary Plan rush

Auckland Council’s agreement with the Government to allow for fast-tracking to free up more land for housing in strategic parts of Auckland means the Mayor no longer needs to push for his draft unitary plan to be notified and given instant legal weight in September, says Auckland Councillor for Orakei, Cameron Brewer.

“Despite all the public despair, the Mayor would love his controversial draft unitary plan signed off as early as September. We’ll this latest development surely takes the pressure off. The Mayor now needs to back off, stop rushing the process, and actually start listening to upset communities.

“Communities right across Auckland are very angry over the Mayor’s residential intensification plans. We’ve seen packed community meetings like never before. Not only are they upset about the plan for much more high-rise and infill housing but many are disgusted the council is trying to ram this on the books before the local body elections in October.

“Governments have a longstanding convention that they don’t pass major legislation in the lead up to an election. Yet in Auckland, the Mayor is proposing to notify the biggest plan change in New Zealand’s history during the height of Auckland Council’s election period. It’s completely offensive to rush this through given all the genuine concern out there and the many unanswered questions around the likes of infrastructure and open space provision.

“I call on the Mayor to announce that he will no longer be pushing for the unitary plan to be notified before the local body elections and that after more extensive community and stakeholder engagement and consideration of public feedback, the second term Auckland Council will decide what gets notified.

“The Mayor rightly wants the second term council to decide who will be our next CEO, and consistent with that the next council should also decide the fate of the controversial unitary plan. That would be the right thing to do given a lot of pressure has now come off,” says Cameron Brewer.

ENDS

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