Unitary planning rules to protect the Waitemata Harbour

Media release – Rob Thomas – Waitemata Local Board Member,  Candidate for Waitemata and Gulf Councillor – 28 May 2013:

The Auckland Council’s draft unitary plan raises serious concerns about the future impact of a growing city on the Waitemata Harbour. The city’s population is growing at a rate of 50 new residents a day, increasing demand for high density houses and putting more pressure on the city’s stormwater system.

The waste water pipes in Auckland’s central suburbs of Parnell, Newmarket and Grey Lynn are non-separated; waste water and sewage share a single pipe. During heavy rain events heavy chemicals from the road network and sewage is discharged into the Waitemata Harbour.

Waitemata Local Board member Rob Thomas says “The current unitary plan fails to deliver stormwater management solutions and leaves the well-being of our coastal environment at the mercy of Auckland’s growing population.”

“Increasing the level of impervious surfaces in the city will create heavier storm water flows and more frequent overflows of heavy chemicals and sewage into the Waitemata Harbour.”

The Draft Unitary Plan in its current form uses the green star rating system to establish the green credentials of new multi-dwelling developments.

“The problem with the green star rating programme is new multi-dwelling developments can pick’n’choose which green features are used to achieve a green star rating. By leaving these options to chance, the council is unable to manage the effects of new developments on the city’s aged infrastructure.”

Mr Thomas says “The other key partner in this formula is Auckland Transport. As the owner of our road network they plan a vital role in storm water management. Auckland Transport cannot be precluded from their responsibilities to protect our natural environment under the unitary plan.”

“Council must use the standards contained in the unitary plan to ensure alternative solutions to storm water runoff. The solution to this problem is to make some green features compulsory. Features like green roofs, recycled stormwater tanks and swales on the road network will minimize the impact of urban intensification on the Waitemata Harbour.”

ENDS

Bike Corral to be trialed at 264 Ponsonby Road

 

Auckland Transport has chosen 264 Ponsonby Road as the location for a six month trial of Auckland’s first bike corral. This will be an on-street bike parking facility with capacity for 10 bikes, similar to those used successfully in cities including Portland, Oregon and Melbourne, Australia.

Construction of the Ponsonby Road bike corral is scheduled for late June, with businesses and residents notified in advance of works commencing. Throughout the trial, uptake will be monitored, following which an assessment will be made as to whether the facility should become permanent.

New look for Myers Park

Tucked away at the top end of Queen Street and Grey’s Ave are the grassy slopes of Myers Park.

The park was originally donated by the former Mayor of Auckland Arthur Mielzinier Myers who donated 9,000 pounds for the city to buy the land in 1914. A year later in 1915 the former Mayor also funding the construction of the Myers Free Kindergarten which is still standing in the park today, now a registered historic building and still being used for pre-school education.

Following the establishment of the kindergarten a playground and wading pool was built to be enjoyed for generations of families living in Auckland.

 

 

 

 

 

Over the last 100 years the park and the surrounding neighbourhood has changed significantly. From early images the park used to have direct views from the Myers Free Kindergarten to the Auckland Town Hall which opened in 1911 and the Partinton’s Mill which was producing flour on the Karangahape Road ridge in 1851. Today, large buildings dominate edges of the park with large concrete walls and the sight line to the Town Hall is obscured by Mayoral Drive.

To celebrate the park and playground’s 100th birthday, the Waitemata Local Board undertook a study to look at the current use of the park with particular attention on play facilities, access and safety. A comprehensive report was produced in September 2012 outlining the key challenges and opportunities. To read the report click here.

Local residents, historians and many others have been asking me what the new designs look like. Unfortunately the designs are still work in progress but, here are a handful of concepts that have been workshopped with the board.

Play in our backyard

In February, children of the Myers Park Kindergarten (KINZ) took part in different activities to find out their favourite play equipment, children’s stories and asked to construct their own playgrounds. Observations of children playing in the park highlighted a few key challenges that have been comprised into the following design considerations:

On the 20th March the Waitemata Local Board were presented a few concept ideas that incorporate elements of play shadows, surprise, fantasy, imagination, colour, scale, surrealism, distortion, intricacy and discovery.

The following image is a concept design that embeds these elements together.

The historic wading pool also being re-used as a children’s waterplay / splashpad.

Enhanced access

Improvements need to be made at the entrance from Aotea Square, Mayoral Drive and Queen Street to encourage better use of the park. In early 2011, I submitted a notice of motion on our board agenda to transfer the unused land under Mayoral Drive from Auckland Transport to Auckland Council to allow for the expansion of the park into the arts precinct. This has yet to occur. However, the entrance to the park from the arts precinct and the top of Mayoral Drive is a vital and underutilised link. As part of this project the following concept designs show how these links could be enhanced in the future.

A safer environment

If you’ve ever walked through the park at night time or in the early hours of the morning you will feel unsafe. Your judgement of your environment would be correct with 75% of all offences in Myers Park committed at night time. The Police have started patrolling the park on Friday and Saturday night as an active approach to improve safety in the park and surrounding area. The planned design incorporates passive elements such as improved sight lines and lighting.  The planned improvements to the park will lead to better public perception, increased participation and ultimately improvements to public safety.

Column: Uptown Business District Launched

Verve magazine – May 2013 edition – By Rob Thomas – Candidate for Waitemata & Gulf Councillor:

Auckland’s latest business district of Eden Terrace, Grafton and Newton has launched their new brand www.Uptown.co.nz

Upper Symonds Street has always been a unique part of Auckland nestled at the top of the city with its funky cafes and restaurants like Altezano Espresso or Gina’s Italian Kitchen. Lined the streets are many Boutique shops like men’s clothing store I Love Ugly, Ariel Books and Kite Works. Live gig venues such as The Powerstation or Kings Arms Tavern attract hundreds of people which embodies much of the areas energy and excitement.

The precinct is home to some of New Zealand’s largest and well-known brands like 2degrees mobile and Auckland Co-op Taxis. There’s also a strong flavor of professional services and manufacturing from O’Neils Personnel, Symonds Street Drycleaners to the team at Boston Wardrobes. The creative sector has set up shop in Uptown with businesses like Fuse Creative and D1 Creative that have jointly created the Uptown brand.

In front of a large crowd of local business owners, left to right in the photo, Uptown Manager Gary Holmes, Auckland Mayor Len Brown, Uptown Board Chairperson Ron Harcus and myself Waitemata Local Board Member Rob Thomas unveiled the giant Uptown logo.

Under Auckland’s draft Unitary Plan, the Uptown area is planned to undergo significant changes that would allow for an additional 18,750 new residents and 16,000 more workers over the next 30 years. Of course, the multibillion dollar question on everyone’s lips is will rail through the inner-city get the green light and a train station pop-up on Newton Road.

Whatever the future has installed – Uptown is well poised to take on the challenge.

Column: Sewage on Auckland’s Beaches

Ponsonby News – May 2013 edition – By Rob Thomas – Candidate for Waitemata & Gulf Councillor:

In the lead up to this year’s Auckland Council elections, the name Sir Dove-Myer Robinson or Robbie will be discussed in many conversations. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Robbie’s legacy to Auckland, he was Auckland’s Mayor from 1959 to 1965 and 1968 to 1980. He was a strong proponent for rail through the inner-city which is the crusade our current Mayor Len Brown continues today.

Elected for the first time as Councillor in 1953, Sir Dove-Myer Robinson led the opposition to a sewage dumping scheme that would have discharged untreated effluent into the Hauraki Gulf. Soon after being elected he pulled the plug on the project, leaving the sewage holding tanks empty on Tamaki Drive which is now Kelly Tarltons Underwater World. He eventually realised a scheme to break down the sewage in oxidation ponds in the Manukau Harbour. However, 60 years later we have a similar battle on our hands with WaterCare planning to spend close to a billion dollars over 14 years on three significant wastewater underground projects in our backyard. They are now asking for consent to continue dumping sewage in our harbour.

The breakdown of the spend is as follows; Central Connector Project, costing $800 million from Western Springs to Mangere with estimated 6-12 sewage discharges per year. Waterfront interceptor costing $135 million from Western Springs to an overflow at Coxs Bay and Point Erin Reserve. The Newmarket Gully Project costing $12 million from Newmarket Park to Hobson Bay estimated to have 20 discharges per year.

It is completely unacceptable that in this day and age we allow sewage into our freshwater and coastal environment.

Visitors to Auckland read in our tourism guides that we are called the City of Sails because we’ve got the highest number of boats per head of population in New Zealand. However, we all know that it’s our love affair with accessing the Waitemata Harbour “glistening waters” that defines us as Aucklanders and it’s our harbour that will continue to define the future of our city.

If we allow this consent to be granted we are permitting one of our own regional assets to discharge sewage for what could be a significant period of time. Our thirty year plan to make Auckland the most liveable city will never be achieved if we progress with projects that continue dumping sewage in our coastal environment.

For a short time, I worked for Wellington City Council monitoring citywide performance. If you’re familiar with Wellington, you would have seen an odd shaped building near the airport which is the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. For years, residents fought tooth and nail to stop sewage overflow and restore the area as a surf beach. This resulted in the sewage treatment plant being built with a target of one sewage discharge event per year. In the event of a discharge the sewage is carried through a pipe and disposed 1.8kms offshore. Wellingtonians now get to enjoy their harbour all year round and they have recently installed a diving platform on the city’s waterfront to celebrate.

Another city that I believe has got it right is just across the bridge in the former North Shore City. If you visit the site www.Joelcaford.blogspot.co.nz you’ll stumble upon Joel’s article on the dual programme to reduce stormwater infiltration into its sewerage network and underground storage tanks. As the former chairperson of the North Shore City Council’s Works and Environment Committee you’ll read his critical view of the outcomes of the central connector project.

WaterCare needs to reprioritise. Across the region WaterCare are planning to spend over $2 billion on city wide sewerage infrastructure over the next ten years. My message to the WaterCare Board is clear, focus on one project at a time and do it right the first time.

We should not be planning to deliver a programme for ten years, but a programme for the next generation. Our society should not be committing to mediocrity.