Devonport Heritage has made a submission on the Resource Management Enabling Housing Supply Bill
Spokesperson McRae
Margot McRae, chair of Devonport Heritage, has made a submission on the Resource Management Enabling Housing Supply Bill.
This Bill that will allow three storey/three house developments on sites throughout Auckland without a resource consent and any urban design requirements.
It will do away with the protections of Special Character areas like Devonport and will result in unsympathetic developments and the slow ruination of Devonport’s heritage.
The Government is trying to ram this through Parliament in December so we urge you to make a submission.
The deadline for submissions is 11pm 16 November. You can write a full submission or just fill in a form online. Click here for the form.
We also urge you to email Auckland councillors.
My name is Margot McRae and I am the chairperson of Devonport Heritage 2017 Inc.
This group was first formed in 1994 with the aim of protecting Devonport’s historic houses and buildings by campaigning for heritage conservation rules in the new district plan. Over the years it has become a widely recognised society that has worked to raise awareness of local heritage and history within the community and Auckland Council.
Lack of Consultation
This Bill has been introduced with insufficient time for proper consultation with Auckland Council, and Aucklanders.
It plans to introduce major changes to planning rules yet allows only three weeks to make submissions and aims to push the bill through parliament by mid December.
It is an autocratic and surprise move by central government to impose a second housing proposal on councils when they are still grappling with the NPS-UD.
This shows an appalling lack of respect for the public, the council and the democratic process.
Even the Regulatory Impact Statement warns this lack of consultation is a problem and may pose implementation risks for the proposals.
This Bill is Unnecessary
This Bill is simply unnecessary as the Auckland Unitary Plan already provides for sufficient capacity for 30 years of housing development. Auckland Council’s Megan Tyler’s figures show there is enough development capacity for up to 900,000 more dwellings in Auckland.
It demonstrates short-term thinking and throws out quality for quantity without consideration of the consequences.
Auckland Unitary Plan
The AUP is doing a good job of increasing housing in Auckland. It removed height and density requirements and subsequently resource consent numbers are at record levels and 66% are for high-density dwellings.
The AUP was approved only 5 years ago after going through a thorough democratic consultation and submission process.
The Bill will overrule the Plan and this is unnecessary interference in the democratic process.
Bad Housing
By eliminating all urban design rules and guidelines from medium density housing, the Bill will create extremely poor quality homes. Three dwellings will be squeezed into small sections, outdoor living will be cramped and lacking in privacy, and living quality will suffer accordingly. The new builds will resemble 1950’s Soviet architecture that will shade and overwhelm existing housing.
It will result in ugly, unliveable houses that will destroy the lifestyle standards that Aucklanders aspire to.
Handing Future of Auckland to Developers
If this goes ahead, the future of Auckland will be handed over to property developers. They will decide where medium density housing is sited and what it will look like.
The danger is that property prices in Auckland will further increase as developers buy up city land they see as worth developing.
When they do decide to build, it will be on an ad hoc basis without reference to the ability of the city’s infrastructure to support more housing. Urban design and community planning will suffer as a result.
Special Character Areas
The Bill does not give enough consideration to the protection of Auckland’s historic old wooden housing areas that are a significant part of the city’s identity and character.
These Special Characters areas have been protected from demolition for 27 years and there is now an accepted community expectation that they deserve protection.
Yet this bill threatens to ruin them. If three storey developments are allowed everywhere these old villas, cottages and bungalows will be squeezed between monolithic concrete and glass housing blocks. These areas are about homogeneity and quantity and to have them interrupted by brutal, over-scale developments will be the death knell of the historic fabric of the city.
It is simply not enough to protect only individual heritage houses and buildings through the Heritage Schedule or heritage orders. Most houses in SCA’s are not on this schedule yet collectively they represent Auckland’s historic development as a city and contribute enormously to its unique identity.
Clash with Other Legislation
This bill will pre-empt the Natural and Built Environment Bill that is still being formulated. As well there is the Spatial Planning Bill, the NPS-UD and the Climate Change Adaptation Bill.
The government is simply trying to do too much, too quickly and this will lead to ill considered legislation that may well conflict with each other.
At present there are too many legislative streams operating simultaneously and this is creating confusion and panic because of too many methods at play.
Recommendations
Send this Bill back for further work and more consultation with Auckland Council.
Ensure any new density requirements include strong urban design requirements.
Respect the AUP and ensure that intensification is only allowed where there is sufficient infrastructure to support it.
Approve Auckland’s Special Character Areas as a Qualified Matter and ensure that the whole of these areas are protected, not just individual heritage sites.
If the Bill proceeds it should: reduce height to two storeys with 9 metre height limit; decrease site coverage to 45%; increase outdoor living space size; rear yard should be 2.5metres; include urban design requirements.
Margot McRae
Chairperson
Devonport Heritage 2017 Inc.
2/11/21
Contact Auckland Council Ward councillors.
Click here.
Attend the Auckland Council Planning Committee
This meeting will be held remotely and can be viewed on the Auckland Council website
4th Nov 2021, 10.00am
