Purpose

This report covers my Waitematā Local Board Activities during May 2016 as Deputy Chair of the Finance Committee; Deputy Chair of the Hearings Committee; Lead of the Parks and Open Spaces portfolio; Heritage, Urban Design and Planning portfolio holder; and Local Board representative on the K Road Business Association. 

Executive Summary

• The Local Board voted through $10,000 funding for a community-led plan for Great North Road at its May business meeting
• Western Park paving renewals are progressing with an expected completion at the end of June and the resource consent for replacement lighting submitted
• Rabbit control has been undertaken in Western Springs reserve, dramatically reducing numbers
• Weed control work was carried out in the Rose Road gully in Grey Lynn Park
• Path renewal work continues at Cox’s Bay Reserve
• The Newton/Eden Terrace Area Plan work is being resumed after being delayed by the re-siting of the planned Newton City Rail Link Station to Mount Eden Station
• Public feedback on the Auckland Domain Masterplan has been reported back to the Auckland Domain Committee, of which I am a member. The Domain Committee will informally consider this feedback before consequential changes to the Master Plan are made with the intent of adoption in June/July 2016
• I keep track of resource consent applications as they are received by Council, requesting further information, plans and Assessments of Environmental Effects for applications of interest. Significant applications are referred to the relevant residents’ associations for their input which I then relay to planners as part of the Local Board’s input. Reporting of resource consent applications, planning portfolio input, hearings and decisions in the Local Board area for this month is detailed in the Heritage, Urban Design and Planning section of this report under the headings ‘Planning’: ‘Resource Consents’.

Comments

Great North Road Community-Led Precinct Plan

At the Business meeting of 10 May, the Local Board resolved unanimously to allocate $10,000 from its Community Empowerment Fund to the Grey Lynn Residents Association to lead a ‘community-led precinct vision for the area of Great North Road between Newton Road and Surrey Crescent. The GLRA will work together with the Grey Lynn Business Association, Arch Hill Residents Association and Grey Lynn 2030.

This project has its origin in a fraught public meeting held at Trades Hall on Great North Road in late-2014. A packed hall of local residents, already incensed by the controversial Bunnings development, expressed their dismay that buildings in the area were being approved at six storeys when the District Plan envelope is set at four storeys (this is due to the operation of the Resource Management Act rather than any particular Council Policy) and a strong concern about the effect of shading on the general area that would be posed by taller buildings. It was abundantly clear that in absence of good information, people will generally assume the worst.

Bernard Orsman of the New Zealand Herald, reported on the meeting and wrote an in-depth piece (‘Urban intensification: rise of the apartment’, New Zealand Herald, 6 October 2014). I was quoted as supporting intensification but also saying that resource consent applications that significantly exceed the development envelope set out in the District Plan should be publicly notified:

Waitematā Local Board member Vernon Tava says the extra height and density being granted for Great North Rd apartment buildings is a concern to the board.

“We have a contract with the community [for four storeys],” says Mr Tava, “and if [an apartment building] is outside of that it should be notified.”

He believes it’s still not too late to bring the parties together and come up with a “whole of area approach” for Great North Rd.

I have been strongly criticised for this perspective in some quarters, particularly among self-styled ‘new urbanists’, who appear to believe that the job of elected representatives is to simply wave through any and every development proposal that comes our way. In the current climate, when the language of ‘crisis’ has become so prevalent, I believe it is more important than ever that we insist on quality of design and build, and proper consultation with the community who already live in the area. How quickly the rapacious destruction of Auckland’s heritage in the ’80s and the leaky building scandal of the ’90s to the present(!) are forgotten. We must not fall victim to the sort of shoddy thinking and practice that led to these genuine crises again.

Property developers have ample assistance in Council. I see my role in Council primarily as representing the communities I was elected to serve and it doesn’t seem too much to ask for developments that are 50% over what was contemplated in the District Plan to be notified to the public so that they can make submissions.

It was abundantly clear at the 2014 public meeting and since that, in absence of good information, people will generally assume the worst and that a community consensus needs to be reached for urban development to be truly successful. Despite the obvious potential of this area for intensive urban residential development, Council planners have not nominated it as a strategic priority beyond supporting it being made a Special Housing Area.

I accessed hours allocated to the Local Board from the Built Environment Unit (BEU), a now defunct part of Council’s Design Office, to carry out an urban planning and design study on the area that is now defined as the area of the study. The study was entitled ‘Re-Imagining Great North Road’.

Local architect, Daniel Marshall – who fortuitously had a Parisian intern who was highly trained in urban computer-aided modelling – provided a comprehensive urban and shading study, building on the work of the BEU. The two documents will form the foundation of the community-led project and provide a strong evidential basis for its work.

The nature of urban development under the Resource Management Act is that resource consent applications are approved on a case-by-case basis without a consideration of the larger area if there is no precinct plan. Furthermore, applicants have a first-mover advantage and local residents (and the Local Board for that matter) have a largely reactive role. We are eager to create a document that is the genuine, widely-consulted and coherent view of the community. This will be of great assistance to elected members, developers, planners and residents.

I am excited about the next stage, which is creating the scoping and terms of the project, and look forward to seeing a genuinely community-led process. From there, the Local Board’s Strategic Broker, Shamila Unkar, will work with the Council departments and CCOs, particularly AT and Panuku Development Auckland, to discuss with the community group what Council has planned for the area and will form the basis of an extensive community-led consultation. It is my hope that this process will form a template for future community-led planning throughout the Auckland region and, perhaps, beyond.

Portfolio Report: Parks & Open Spaces

Portfolio Responsibilities

Decision-making for and oversight of local parks and public council open spaces, including beaches, coastal walkways, reserves, sports fields, playgrounds, non-road reserve plazas and boat ramps. This includes location and naming of new parks, design and maintenance of park facilities and settings, and supporting community events and planting programmes in parks. Landowner consent delegation in respect of local parks and open spaces. Regulatory and policy oversight of local dog management. Advocacy to achieve local priorities relating to parks network development and input into the management and use of regional parks located within the local area.

Western Park Paving Renewals

This long-awaited work is progressing well with an expected completion date at the end of June.

Auckland Domain

Watson Bequest Reflection Pond

The Watson Bequest reflection pond in the Domain has undergone an extensive rebuild over the last couple of years and is about to be opened. The original pond and associated statues were tendered in 1954 and officially unveiled in 19 October 1955. They were a bequest from Alexander Richard Dickey Watson. The bequest and associated sculpture commemorated the first 100 years of the history of the city of Auckland. The pond was designed by the Council architect Tibor Doner and the stonework by the Scarborough brothers of Scarborough Terrace fame. The statue and pond were originally proposed for Albert Park but it was decided that the Domain was a more appropriate site.

Auckland Domain Masterplan

Consultation on the Domain Masterplan ran during February and March 2016, approximately 300 people and organisations provided feedback on the master plan via email, Shape Auckland and at the open days at the Domain and Lantern Festival. There was support for the following four major shifts:

• consolidated car parking
• Kari Street nursery repurpose
• closing roads, and
• creating play space.

The feedback was in favour of all proposals with the idea of redeveloping the Kari Street nursery receiving the most support and least disapprovals. The nursery site adjacent to and supporting the Wintergardens is to be retained as it is essential to the servicing of the horticultural displays in and around the Domain, including the Winter Gardens. There was also support for providing for cyclists and pedestrians and improving the quality of the sports fields. The Domain Committee will informally consider this feedback before consequential changes to the Master Plan are made with the intent of adoption in June/July 2016.

Rabbit Control in Western Springs Lakeside Reserve

Rabbit population in the area has grown to a point where control is required. The estimated population was over 680. A target was set to reduce the population by at least 80%. Controlled night shooting has been used, with a kill rate of 319 rabbits to date. Up to four night shoots may be used.

Rose Road Gully Control Work

Te Ngahere completed their work last week and I have put together a brief summary for you. The work was paid for from operational budgets and I think they have done a good job. We have not used sprays but did use a glyphosate paste on some of the stumps. Staff are looking into spray-free options in consultation with Ngati Whatua as a possible partner in the delivery of that service as well as seeking pricing from the existing contractor for the work.

Waitematā Local Board Volunteer Activities May 2016

Update by Sarah Peters, Volunteer and Biodiversity Coordinator, 30^th May, 2016

• Volunteer Animal Pest Control Programme: trapping rodents and possums

Animal pest control activities continued throughout May at: Auckland Domain; Newmarket Park; Alberon Reserve; Lemington Reserve; Tirotai Reserve.

• Auckland Domain: Tuesday 10th

A team of volunteers from Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ) mulched a stand of totara trees near the grandstand in the Auckland Domain. These trees were one of the first native park plantings in Auckland – around the mid-1860s.

• Arch Hill Scenic Reserve litter clean- up: Saturday 14th

Six members of the City Presbyterian Church on K Rd undertook a litter clean-up at Arch Hill Scenic Reserve. The church regularly carries out clean-ups in parks in the Waitematā Local Board area. 

Portfolio Report: Heritage, Urban Design and Planning

Planning

Newton-Eden Terrace Area Plan Resumed

The Newton/Eden Terrace Area Plan work is being resumed after being delayed by the re-siting of the planned Newton City Rail Link Station. The planning team will facilitate two meetings with the Waitemata and Albert-Eden delegates (Christopher, Rob and Peter Haynes and Graeme Easte respectively) during June to discuss Key Moves and Actions (workshop 1) and to review the draft final plan (workshop 2). In early July we will hold a full workshop with the whole two local boards to share the work done on the draft and discuss the implementation plan. A report will go to the 9 August Business Meeting for approval, with early September as the date for the publication of the final plan.

Resource Consents

The portfolio request information on resource consent applications of interest as a matter of course. The Local Board can have input into the decision on public notification of a resource consent application but not into the substantive matters of the application. The input of the Local Board is not binding on the commissioner making the decision. Nonetheless, on some significant applications we will include substantive comments along with our views on notification.

• R/LUC/2016/1479, 26 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby. Alterations to the ground floor shop front and internal modifications to the restaurant, construction of a small outdoor eating area to the rear of the building and a parking shortfall. This is not a character building and the current frontage contributes little to the streetscape. The planner is seeking more information under s92. We did not have input into the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1292, 84 College Hill, Ponsonby. The application involves legalising office use within the buildings at this property, which is a discretionary activity. The traffic report did not suggest any adverse effects in the area. We did not have input into the notification decision.
• R/VCC/2012/3145/26, 11 Crummer Road, Grey Lynn. Part of the Progressive Enterprises Vinegar Lane development. The application is to vary the original resource consent with the key changes: A Floor Area Ration (FAR) of 4.21:1, the allowed FAR is 4:1; an infringement to the 15m maximum height of 1m, the proposed height of the building is 16m. The garage door is 3.3m rather than the maximum of 3m. The Vinegar Lane Design Panel had no major concerns with the proposal. We did not have input into the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1177, 65-73 Parnell Rise, Parnell. Application to change the use of an existing tenancy from retail/office to retail/yoga studio/café. The tenancy already has an approved parking shortfall of 12 spaces; the parking shortfall applied for under the current consent is 21 spaces. As the site is on a major transport corridor, we asked that bicycle parking be considered as mitigation but otherwise opted not to have input into the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1739, 8 Commerce Street, Auckland Central. The application is for the addition of a gas cupboard to a scheduled building.  The gas cupboard is to accommodate gas utilities for multiple retail units within the Achilles Building. The current box is located at 10 Commerce Street, which is due for demolition (as per approved resource consent R/LUC/2015/1857). The building is registered with Heritage New Zealand . The building is a category A heritage building under the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan only and is not scheduled under the Operative Pan. In accordance with Part 3 Chapter J Sub-Section 2.1, of the PAUP, modifications to buildings or structures or the fabric or features of a category A scheduled place shall be considered as a Discretionary activity. We did not have input into the notification decision.
• R/VCC/2015/1075/1, 1 Queen Street, Auckland Central. Variation to tower and building and retail podium (Condition 1). The application by Precinct Properties Downtown Limited involves amendments to the approved design of the commercial tower and Building 6 of the retail podium development.  In June 2015 the Council granted resource consent R/LUC/2015/1075 to demolish the existing Downtown Shopping Centre and to construct a new, multi-level retail development and commercial office tower.  The application was considered as a non-complying activity (due to works beneath Queen Elizabeth Square) and processed on a non-notified basis.  Design development has resulted in minor changes to the design of the office tower and Building 6, at the request of the prospective tenant. The changes to the tower involve floor to ceiling heights increasing by 200mm but the foil height (the curved crown of the building) decreasing.  The height of the building core increases by 8.22m and the internal positions of the high-rise and low-rise core has changed as have internal plant elements.  The position of the external glazing line has been relocated to outside the structural braces and the expression of the “diagrid” façade has been amended.  The changes in respect of Building 6 relate to the creation of a new basement, increased height of the building by 1.84m and internal changes to the configuration of the three floors of the building. We had no input on the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1755, 27 Whitaker Place, Grafton. Demolition of existing buildings. University of Auckland seeks consent for the demolition of the buildings on  27 Whitaker Place and 16 St Martin’s Lane.  The site is currently occupied by a complex of buildings known as “Whitaker Hall”, which are utilised for student housing and associated administration functions. The existing detached dwelling located at 16 St Martins Lane will be retained. Separate resource consent applications will be lodged for the future developments on the subject sites and the adjacent landholding, 35 Whitaker Place.  The resource consent is restricted controlled activity. We had no input on the notification decision.
• R/TRC/2016/1711, 255 Jervois Road, Herne Bay. Pruning of deadwood from Pōhutukawa trees. I confirmed with the relevant officer that this was controlled pruning and, hence, opted not to have input into the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1891, 5 Renall Street, Freemans Bay. The proposal involves internal alteration to a scheduled building. The works have been assessed by Council’s Senior Heritage Specialist as being beneficial to the property which has suffered from prolonged neglect. On this basis we did not have input into the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1818, 132 Hobson Street, Auckland Central. Installation of heating system to scheduled building. Consent is sought to install a new radiant heating system to the nave, aisles and Peace Chapel inside the St Matthew in-the-City Church. The building is listed as a scheduled heritage place under the Auckland Council District Plan (Central Area Section) and the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan, and any internal alterations require resource consent. The proposal is a discretionary activity overall. We had no input on the notification decision.
• R/VCC/2012/3145/28, 1/4 Williamson Avenue, Grey Lynn. Variations to conditions 17.1 to 17.7 and 17.9 of original consent, due to change in drainage connections and access way approval, with knock on effects. This variation is to tidy up some of the subdivision conditions that have been picked up when the applicant was trying to obtain final subdivision sign off (for lot 1 Cider building and lot 13). They relate to stormwater, wastewater connections and engineering approval for the right of way. This has been assessed by Council’s engineer who is happy with the changes in terms of the network implications and that all lots are sufficiently serviced and built to standards that match their intended use. We had no input on the notification decision.
• R/VCC/2012/3145/27, 19 Vinegar Lane, Grey Lynn. s127 RMA application to alter condition 3 of approved resource consent R/LUC/2012/3145/11. The Vinegar Lane Design Committee suggested to the applicants, Kech Properties, that they make use of the provision for a roof top structure of up to 16 metres for 10% of the building footprint so that higher floor-to-ceiling heights can be provided. The proposed closed-in roof top structure would exceed the 15-metre height limit by 0.97 metres and will cover 43% of the building footprint. The proposal will also infringe the control by exceeding the setback for the entrance by 4% (from 30% to 34%). Given the substantial (33%) overrun on the additional height we have asked for limited notification to any parties affected by modelled shading.
• R/LUC/2016/1854, 442 Karangahape Road, Newton. New residential/commercial building. Consent is sought to carry out earthworks and to construct a mixed use development of 34 residential apartments with up to 120m² of commercial floor space in a seven level building. 6 Car parking spaces, 28 bike spaces and 34 lockers are provided in the lower basement. Consent is required for erection of a new building; modification to the frontage height and setback rule; and  earthworks.  The proposal is a discretionary activity overall. We had no input on the notification decision.
• R/VCC/2011/2930/2, 161-181 Grafton Road, Grafton. Variation to the design of a four storey office building. Moving the café  to the Khyber Pass and Grafton Road corner of the site; A medical centre on the ground floor in the southern building on the site; a crèche (with a maximum capacity of 25 people – for Orion staff only) at the ground floor on the northern building. Design changes, including elevating the roof of the northern building and cladding change to the proposed south building. We had no input on the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1951, 527 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. Commercial building with a car parking shortfall. application at 527 Great North Road was required as a liquor licence was lodged with Auckland Council for the establishment of a Bottle Store at the vacant premises. Through the processing of the Liquor license it was noted that there were only two car-parking spaces associated with the premises lease, where the district plan requires four based on the gross floor area of the retail premises and an additional two for the residential unit above. Overall there is a four car-parking shortfall. The establishment of the liquor store is a permitted activity, the only reason for consent is for the shortfall in parking. We had no input on the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/1959, Shop 5/1 Jervois Road, Herne Bay. Installation of new ventilation ducting and fire flue to the north external wall. The proposal is to add a new ventilation duct and fire flue on the north external wall of the building for the permitted restaurant activity. There are no other proposed changes to the building and there is an existing ventilation and duct on the side of the building. The site is in a Business 2 zone and is a Conservation Interface Area under the Ponsonby Centre Plan. Additions and alterations to the existing building in a Conservation Interface Area is a restricted controlled activity. The Council’s Heritage Specialist Planner has looked at the site and made useful input toward minimising the visual impact of the installation from the street. We did not have input into the notification decision.
• R/LUC/2016/2005, 71 Marine Parade, Herne Bay. Alterations to a dwelling in the Residential 2B zone and alterations to a structure within the Coastal Management Area. The application is for the removal of bi-fold doors and a window and installation of sliding doors on the western elevation (side façade facing pool). Retrospective consent is also required for the replacement of the balustrade on the western elevation. The site is zoned as a residential 2B and is under the coastal management area. PAUP zoning is Single House, with a Special Character – Res Isthmus A overlay. We did not have input into the notification decision.

Resource consent matters of significance this month

111 Jervois Road, Herne Bay. Remove/Demolish a pre 1944 dwelling.

R/LUC/2016/1913. Application to demolish the Transition Villa on site. It is one of a string of properties on Jervois Rd from Hamilton Rd down to Sentinel Rd  (109-151) facing the existing southern commercial strip of cafes and restaurants, all up-zoned in the PAUP to Local Centre. I sought input from Councillor Lee and the Heritage Advisory Panel who expressed genuine concern at the potential loss of the building. One of Council’s Heritage Specialists concluded that ‘the villa at 111 Jervois Road does not possess significant historic heritage values as an individual dwelling, but that it is a contributor to a small, existing character streetscape. Its contribution has been reduced by prior changes. The proposed demolition of the subject dwelling will result in some adverse heritage effects on the wider streetscape character, but these adverse effects will be less than if the building was strong contributor to a wider and more intact streetscape as identified elsewhere during the Pre-1944 survey.’ Given the public concern over this application and the character contributing status of the house, the Local Board asked for public notification of this application.

22 Pollen Street, Grey Lynn. Demolition of existing building and construction of three-storey office building

R/LUC/2016/1681. The applicant proposes to demolish the existing building and construct a new three-storey office building on top of the existing foundations, building slabs and perimeter walls. The proposed building will be used for office activity and will result in a parking shortfall and a building height infringement. I consulted with the Grey Lynn Residents’ Association who gave detailed feedback that was passed on to the planner but none that was material to the notification decision.

300 Queen Street, Auckland Central. Activation of the lane in front of the Central Library R/LUC/2016/143. Application to construct additions/alterations to provide new tenancies for services, food and beverage and offices that will exceed the “maximum total floor area ratio” for the site – noting that the existing building already exceeds the ratio and the development does not involve any increase outside of the building footprint. The site backs on to Lorne Street running in front of the library and currently has a large roller door entrance to the car parking inside the building; the building essentially turns its back on what used to be a back alley but it now a well paved and pedestrianized zone that has the potential to be one of the finer lanes of the city centre. In place of the non-descript roller doors are proposed two potential retail tenancies which will serve to ‘activate the edge’ of the building and open it to the lane. This application is strongly supported by the portfolio and, as such, we had no input into the notification decision.

29-31 Anzac Avenue, Auckland Central Apartment Building: Variation Consent Granted

R/VCC/2015/3906/1. The consent holder sought to vary the conditions of resource consent R/LUC/2015/3906 (Land Use Consent) for a 16 storey commercial and 70 unit accommodation building which was approved in February 2016. The changes relate solely to the number and mix of residential apartments in the building, and these changes will be predominantly internal alterations. The only external alterations will be to the rear western elevation, with no changes to the front or side elevations proposed. The changes result in the combined number of studio and one bedroom units being 89% of the total number of units rather than the 70% requirement. Consent was granted 11 May 2016.

Restoration of St James Theatre.

R/LUC/2016/1767, 304-328 Queen Street, Auckland Central. St James Holdings Limited have applied for resource consent for the restoration and seismic upgrade of the Category A historic St James Theatre.  This application separates the theatre restoration from the development of the balance of the site for a mixed commercial and residential development known as the St James Suites.  In a variation application presently before the Council all conditions of the original consent that relate to the restoration or “mothballing” of the St James Theatre, are removed and included where appropriate as conditions of consent for this current application.  This means that the St James Suites and the St James Theatre consents become separate entities.  Significantly this means also that the St James moves from its “mothball” status to actual repair/restoration status.  As works relate to an historic heritage building, resource consent status is discretionary activity. This application is strongly supported by the portfolio and, as such, we had no input into the notification decision.

1 Marine Parade, Herne Bay

R/LUC/2016/1858. Application for the demolition of the existing dwelling, and replacement with a new dwelling and replacement swimming pool. The current dwelling on the site dates back to circa 1946 but was extensively renovated in the 1990s. The building is three levels tall but due to the sloping nature of the site appears to be only two storeys tall from the street. There are no trees of significant scale to be removed. A consent was granted to a previous owner in 2011 for a replacement dwelling. That consent was for, among other things, consent for height, height in relation to boundary, building coverage and front yard setback control infringements. The 2011 consent stated that ‘the replacement dwelling building will be of a similar scale and form that currently exists on site and will not detract from the character of the area.’ Given that the existing building is not particularly attractive and does not contribute to heritage or amenity of the streetscape we did not have input into the notification decision for this application.

4-10 Alma Street, Newmarket

R/LUC/2016/1798. Proposed demolition of existing buildings at the site and creation of new office building with proposed retail incorporated. Demolition of a character building (Newmarket Structure Plan); parking shortfall (105 spaces); discretionary consent on a significant road (Broadway); exceeds maximum height for the zone (main building compliant – this relates to the atrium and mechanical plant on the roof). The proposal is for a new 5-storey office building with retail on the ground floor frontages. The project is by Mansons TCLM and is for a 5-Greenstar rated building. We asked for public notification on the basis of the scale of the project, the significance of its site at the western gateway to Newmarket and to provide an opportunity for members of the public to submit on the character building that is proposed for demolition.

Update on the proposed development at 240 Broadway, Newmarket

R/LUC/2015/3593. The proposal involves the demolition of the existing buildings on the subject site and the construction of a new 9 storey building (31m in height). The ground floor will contain retail tenancies while the mezzanine will contain food and beverage. The upper seven levels will be used for apartments. The basement level will contain services and cycle parking. No car parking or loading will be provided on the site, however, provision has been made via the adjacent car park for refuse collection. The proposal also includes the provision of a new accessway to Station Square and the Newmarket Rail Station. The accessway will be relocated further to the south so that it will be at the mid-point of the new building. Council engineering, environmental health, urban design and heritage specialists have reviewed the proposal. The engineering and environmental health specialists support the proposal (subject to conditions). However, the urban design and heritage specialists do not support the proposal due to potential heritage and urban design adverse effects that may result. The applicant was advised of the non-support in terms of heritage and urban design (and that the application was likely to be notified, as requested by the Local Board, as a result of this) and have chosen to redesign the proposed development to try to address the concerns raised. The application is currently on hold under Section 92 of the RMA whilst the applicant undertakes this work.

Update on proposed development at 4 Brown Street, Ponsonby – Limited Notification

R/LUC/2015/3545, R/REG/2015/3669, R/REG/2015/3670. Application to construct a mixed-use development. The application site is in Business 2 and Conservation Interface Area and involves: Construction of basement parking of 143 spaces with a total shortfall of 115 spaces. This will be divided into 3 levels of basement parking; Construction of retail tenancies and courtyard on the ground floor; Commercial tenancies on the first floor; and a residential penthouse on the top floor. The proposal will trigger various reasons for consent. This includes: Earthworks (under District Plan and PAUP); activity within 30m of residentially zoned sites; a residential unit; development controls – landscaping and HIRB (max vertical length of 2.3 metres over 7 metres horizontally) on to Brown Reserve; shortfall of 115 parking spaces; one dedicated loading space; non-compliance with the gradient for the access; 100 and more parking spaces; diversion of groundwater and dewatering (ALWP and PAUP); and, soil Disturbance (NES). We communicated details of the consent to representatives of Grey Lynn and Ponsonby residents and asked for limited notification to residential properties in the immediate surrounds as they will be most affected by the parking shortfall which will put pressure on already strained on-street parking for residents. Also given the proximity to them of the proposed new building under rule 8.7.1 of the District Plan (this would apply only to neighbours within 30 metres of the boundary). R/REG/2015/3669, R/REG/2015/3670: Groundwater diversion and discharges from contaminated land associated with a new mixed use building. The regional consents are required for the excavation works proposed as part of the application for the mixed use development (R/LUC/2015/3545). In particular, a contaminated site discharge consent is required as the ground contamination assessment identified contaminants on site exceeding the ALWP permitted activity criteria, and also the proposed works exceeds the permitted activity volumes. Groundwater diversion and dewatering consent is required for the construction of the basement parking. The Local Board recommended limited notification to residential properties in the immediate surrounds as they will be most affected by the parking shortfall of 115 spaces which will put pressure on already strained on-street parking for residents. Also given the proximity to them of the proposed new building under rule 8.7.1 of the District Plan, this would apply only to neighbours within 30 metres of the boundary.

Meetings / Events Attended

3 May:

• Local Board Workshop

5 May:

• Parks Portfolio monthly meeting

10 May:

• Local Board Business Meeting

12 May:

• Local Board Workshop

17 May:

• Local Board Workshop
• Auckland Domain Committee
• Citizenship Ceremony, Town Hall

19 May:

• LGNZ 2050 workshop in Wellington

24 May:

• Local Board Workshop

26 May:

• Finance Committee meeting

31 May:

• Local Board Workshop