Andy Foster — Your City Councillor

ONSLOW-WESTERN

Urban Development

that by 2026 the Region’s population will have risen by 48,000 with Wellington City comprising 33,000 of that. Population is predicted to keep growing to a peak between 2030 and 2050 after which deaths will outnumber births at least across the Western World and parts of Asia. That will be a new paradigm for humankind after 300 years of enormously rapid population growth, but a change most people would recognise to be necessary for the ongoing viability of the planet.

But back to the local context. Growth brings challenges, and none more so than in city planning. In simple terms where should all those people be accommodated, as well as accommodating the ongoing demand caused by smaller household sizes ?

Wellington has many strengths. Almost inevitably number one is our compactness. The city is walkable, surrounded by green hills, and nestled around one of the world’s most beautiful harbours. In our current District Plan, notified in 1994, we deliberately chose to contain the footprint of the city, preferring most growth takes place inside the established urban area. This protected our then fledgling Outer Green Belt, which in the intervening period has been transformed from a few isolated hills to a continuous Council owned link from the South Coast to Johnsonville.

We also deliberately made rules more flexible, allowing residential activity/mixed use in the CBD, and Suburban Centres. We abandoned labelling some areas ‘retail’, and others ‘industrial.’ It’s instructive to consider a proposed tower block in Petone, where Hutt City’s rules allow an office tower, but not the inclusion of apartments. In retrospect both our policy objectives have worked spectacularly well.

So where are these 30,000+ people going to live ? Should we spread out like Auckland or Christchurch, go up ? promote more infill ? What about other parts of the region ? The statistics show where people are choosing to live. Sprawling development means more pressure on infrastructure, particularly transport, and in Kapiti’s case water as well. There’d be higher transport costs, greater vulnerability to high energy prices, and (with the threat of climate change) higher emissions levels.

Our predictions are that within Wellington City lifestyle choices, an aging population, and smaller household sizes will mean 2/3rds of new households will be high and medium density and just 1/3rd traditional stand alone houses. ¼ of population growth is expected to occur in the Central City, and most of the medium density development along a ‘growth spine’ from Johnsonville to Kilbirnie. Lower density housing is expected to be split roughly equally between infill and northern suburbs greenfield areas.

Location is important. So is quality. What has become abundantly clear is that too much development has been of very poor quality. Too high a proportion of infill and additions to heritage buildings in particular have not measured up.

In part the rules of the 1990’s were perhaps too laissez faire, in part the interpretation of the then new RMA by the courts undermined the purpose and clout of many key planning rules.

So where to now ? After 2500 submissions and some 50 sets of hearings, the District Plan finally became ‘operative’ in July 2000, meaning it then fully replaced the old 1980s District Scheme.

Our intention is to address those areas where 12 years of practice has shown that we can do better. We are also being more strategic about where we encourage development.

Amongst the 55 Plan Changes notified to date we’ve completed PC 38-40 which will better protect the special pre 1930s character of Newtown, and improve the quality of new development especially multi-unit. Hearings are pending on PC 43 tightening heritage rules, PC48 to improve quality of Central City building design and bring the Port area under Central Area Rules, PC 52 requiring Suburban Centre development to consider urban design principles such as ‘active edges’, and parking provision, and PC45 providing rules/structure plans for greenfields development in the Northern Growth area (Stebbings Valley/Lincolnshire Farm). Many Plan Changes are about small issues such as minor re-zonings, but others are major, requiring months or even years of research and preliminary consultation.

This week we notify Plan Change 56 affecting residential areas. Every ratepayer will receive a summary of it. The aim is to improve the quality of infill development. Requirements include provision of 35-50 square metres of usable open space per unit, so we don’t have more multi unit developments where the entire site is houses, driveways and parking. Second dwellings can only be 4.5 metres (1 storey) in height as of right. Consent can be granted for two storey dwellings but PC56 gives Council the ability to much better control effects such as on privacy of neighbours. There’s also a new stronger design guide.

At the same time you’ll receive a consultation paper on what we call targeting. It asks you about some important principles. Last year we developed our first ‘Urban Development Strategy,’ which includes refining the approach to infill. Our current planning rules don’t distinguish between residential development high on the hills of Karori, Brooklyn or Tawa, and development close to shops, services and public transport. Some developers are planning intensive townhouse developments, or even retirement facilities right on the edge of the city just because they own undeveloped land there. We’re proposing these things should change. In some areas close to facilities we’d look for comprehensive redevelopment, in others PC56 would be the start of improving quality of infill, and other areas distant from services, or with special natural or built character would be ‘areas of stability’ with limited change allowed.

The rationale is to better protect character, but also to make for more walkable, vibrant suburban centres, make public transport more attractive, reduce pressure on our limited roading system (imagine 30,000 more people’s cars !), reduce energy use and emissions, and give people more transport choice. We also need to explore means of creating affordable housing close to services. In the event of substantial sustained increases in fuel costs cheap housing on city fringes would be (another) recipe for preventing less well off citizens from participating in society. We should also use the opportunity afforded by Government’s $220 million investment in WCC’s housing stock to replace old run down Council housing with new housing built closer to services. This is also an opportunity to support reinvigoration of some suburban centres, such as Newlands.

We’re also working with developers, community and key public agencies on future plans for Johnsonville and for a new small suburban centre in Churton Park. Council investment can also support or undermine urban development. Our Stadium is spectacularly well placed. On the other hand the proposed $50 million new indoor sports centre was planned to be built close to the airport. Thankfully wisdom has prevailed and it looks likely to now be built on Port land by the Stadium. I think we should get that price down too !

When you get the Plan Change information, I strongly encourage you to read and carefully think about it. Most people might say ‘District What ?’ and think it all very boring – until there are half a dozen apartment units proposed next door. One of the lessons from the 1994 Plan process is that it’s critical to be involved. Don’t leave it to others. Plan Changes are a statutory process so you can not legally come along after submissions have closed and then want to have a say. If you like what is proposed then it is just as important to say that as it is to say you want something changed.

Plan Change 56 will be open for ‘original’ submissions 8 weeks. Following that Council will call for ‘further’ submissions – these can only be submissions agreeing with or disagreeing with the issues raised by original submitters. A hearing will follow for submitters wanting to be heard, with the resulting decision able to be appealed to the Environment Court, before the Plan Change is fully ‘operative’.

It takes time but if you care about your city and your neighbourhood please take the time to look at the material that will be in your letter box shortly, and let us know what you think.

Article by Andy Foster published in the Dominion Post, 4 May 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning the Wellington of the Future

We’re used to thinking of Kapiti’s population as growing like topsy. However between 2001 and 2006 Wellington City has grown faster in percentage and numerical terms than Kapiti. (9.5% compared to 8.1% and 15,642 people compared to 3,753).

Demographic projections say there is more to come. Predicting the future is always a risky business, but their best estimate is

Click here for a list of Plan Changes

 

^ Go back to Top