KEY POINTS:
Mayoral candidate John Banks and Citizens & Ratepayers want to stop councillors sitting on all consent hearings, including projects such as a huge McDonald's restaurant in Balmoral and plans to demolish a row of art deco buildings in St Heliers village.
Other controversial projects councillors and community board members would be excluded from are plans for high-rise apartments at Orakei Basin and a large retirement complex in Meadowbank.
Mr Banks, a former mayor and Cabinet minister, said he agreed with chief executive David Rankin, who wants independent commissioners to deal with all consent hearings.
C&R leader David Hay said the right-leaning ticket would phase out elected representatives altogether in favour of more costly independent commissioners.
A spokesman for an action group opposed to a proposed 159-seat McDonald's in Balmoral, Nathan Inkpen, said he felt "deeply uncomfortable" at the thought of no local representation on hearings making decisions for local people.
"I can see how it would be beneficial to larger business but I can't see how it would be beneficial for the people who have to live in the city."
Orakei Residents' Group spokesman Warren Tuohey supported a mix of councillors and independent councillors.
The hearing panel for a four-level apartment building with 42 units on the water's edge at Orakei Basin had one councillor and two independent commissioners. Plans for a further 203 apartments are still to be heard.
"It makes councillors accountable for the decisions," Mr Tuohey said.
Mr Banks, who has promised to listen and build goodwill if he is re-elected, said hearings needed to be at arm's length, robust and independent but he would not die in a ditch over the matter. He said he would be happy to consult on it.
C&R leader David Hay said the ticket would look at cutting the number of councillors sitting on hearings with the goal of doing away with them altogether. Besides, there were questions about whether there were enough independent commissioners to do all the work.
A paper, obtained by the Herald, shows Mr Rankin believes councillors should be restricted to developing policy on resource management issues and play no part in the implementation of that policy. All consent hearing should be dealt with by panels of independent commissioners.
Eden-Albert community board member Wendy Davies said the public expected their elected representatives to play a role in developments like the Balmoral McDonald's and a boarding house at Stokes Rd in Mt Eden. They were trained on resource management issues and brought local knowledge, whereas independent commissioners often lived outside Auckland City.
Planning committee chairwoman councillor Glenda Fryer said City Vision was opposed to doing away with councillor input.
She said elected representatives were a vital "check and balance". The knowledge they accumulated on hearings helped with reviews of the district plan.
A political source suspected council officers had been leaned on by grumpy developers unused to having their progress checked.
Mr Duthie categorically denied officers were under pressure from developers, or trying to depoliticise the hearing process. Any decisions would be a matter for the new council.
