Hide's Auckland plan 'stone age' says Lee

Mike Lee. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A Government paper attacking Auckland's public transport and land-use planning is a recipe for urban sprawl, says city transport committee chairman Mike Lee.

"It's a formula for more and more roads, more and more urban sprawl," he said of the position document, one of eight issued by Local Government Minister Rodney Hide before the release next week of the Super City's first draft spatial plan. "It's stone age thinking - it goes against the trend of progressive city-building where you try to enhance a coherent central business district and that's what international cities have."

The paper says the regional land transport strategy's heavy emphasis on pubic transport spending over the next 30 years does not align with existing use - 4.2 million passenger trips are made in private vehicles each day and only 170,000 by buses, trains or ferries.

It notes targets set in 1999 to accommodate almost three-quarters of growth within existing urban limits have not been met, raising significant implications for transport and infrastructure decisions based on the intensification of town centres.

It says investment is needed to reduce traffic in arterial routes throughout the region, reduce congestion and provide better bus services.

Choices will have to be made on large projects such as the proposed $2 billion central rail loop and another Waitemata Harbour crossing, it says.

But the paper casts no doubt over the proposed Puhoi-to-Wellsford "road of national significance", which it estimates will cost $2.1 billion.

Mr Lee said it constituted an attack on legacy policies of the former Auckland Regional Council, which he chaired.

"The profits of the sprawl will be privatised and all the costs in terms of infrastructure, extra roads, extra reticulation will be externalised on to the Auckland public."

A spokesman for Mayor Len Brown said the spatial plan would give Aucklanders a say in their city.

"The mayor is focused on ensuring it will be a strong blueprint for the development of Auckland's economy, how to fix Auckland's transport system, protect the environment and develop local communities."