The Auckland Council has adopted a plan for how the city is expected to grow over the next 30 years.
At a meeting of the planning, environment, and parks committee this morning, the council heard strong support for its draft Future Development Strategy (FDS), which looks at building housing across the city.
About 10,084 submissions were received on the draft.
The Future Development Strategy recommended building most new housing in existing suburbs (referred to as brownfield development) instead of undeveloped land (greenfield development), to reduce emissions and avoid high infrastructure costs.
Significant changes had been proposed as a result of the consultation, including a stronger focus on adapting to flooding hazards and the protection of life and property.
A greater recognition of the financial challenges facing the Auckland Council and ratepayers was also included after consultation.
The council was preparing to debate whether or not to adopt the plan, with Howick councillor Maurice Williamson wanting to delay adoption until after the new Government has formed.
“I can see nothing wrong with having a chat with whoever the new ministers are when they’re sworn in, getting reasonable agreement about where we go forward, and taking it from there,” Williamson said.
Howick councillor Maurice Williamson wants to delay adoption of the plan until after the new Government has formed. Photo / Michael Craig
“I don’t believe we should be directed by any Government.”
He said the council should decide for itself but be informed about the central Government’s plans.
Williamson put forward an amendment to delay discussions, which was voted down by the governing body.
During the debate, North Shore councillor Chris Darby echoed beliefs from other councillors that Auckland needed to govern itself.
“We have done this to death,” he said.
“There’s no question that we’ve done our homework absolutely solidly, let’s get on with our responsibility as Auckland governors for Auckland.”
His fellow North Shore councillor and committee chairman Richard Hills said the council needed to ensure developments were fully equipped for those living there.
“We know that our city is full of new subdivisions that are sitting in traffic every morning, [that] do not have access to good facilities like many of our communities have, because we are trying to spread that dollar further, and further, and further.”
Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa councillor Christine Fletcher supported Williamson’s amendment to delay the vote.
Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa councillor Christine Fletcher. Photo / Nick Reed
“Why can we not just take a breath?” she said.
“We do need to have a better relationship with central Government, we do need to stop confusing Aucklanders who really, I think, have lost all hope around our planning abilities.”
Fletcher said there needed to be a less complicated way of communicating to the people of Auckland what the council was trying to accomplish with the FDS.
“It actually doesn’t get rid of the issue of affordability for many, many, many Aucklanders.
“I do think it’s lamentable that we can’t, in the interest of common sense, just wait to see what the incoming Government can work with us on, with the mayor’s manifesto and everything else besides.”
The vote passed 18 to three, with Fletcher abstaining.
Speaking after the vote, Mayor Wayne Brown said Auckland needed to make its own decisions.
“Auckland has to determine what Auckland is going to be like,” he said.
“We would have a better city already if the last Government hadn’t meddled, or the one before that either, that was the whole point of having local government.
“The word local is a clue.”
Brown said the population of Auckland was growing at a rate that infrastructure could not keep up with.
“At least with in-fill, you are using infrastructure which is here,” he said.
“The trouble with greenfields is that, whilst the developers put the infrastructure in within the actual subdivision itself, that subdivision demands more - stuff that we have to pay for.”
