Housing under power lines approved

Auckland Council officials have approved a housing development under high voltage power lines in Te Atatu South, overruling opposition from the national electricity grid operator.

It is the first test of a new government policy for buffer zones between buildings and transmission lines which could hamper the urban intensification drive in Auckland.

Transpower's objection included risks to health and safety of development in the "blowout" zone under and either side of the 110,000 volt lines on towers between Henderson and Hepburn Rd.

But the developer's planning consultant, John Childs, said a further 13 units would be lost if no building was allowed in the zone, which extended 12m either side of the lines. The developer had agreed to cut the total number of units from 59 to 53 and the height of some units as a result of talks with Transpower on the first day of the hearing.

Council consultants Electrix checked the new design met the minimum clearance of 4.5m as required by the Code of Practice for Electrical Safe Distances.

The consent was for stage five of the St Clair Park Village. The development's consultant, Hans Ottow, said existing residents had not complained about the lines.

Transpower planning consultant Karen Blair said incompatible development had occurred within high voltage transmission corridors and there was building under most of the spans in the Henderson-Hepburn line.

The St Clair proposal would add more buildings and intensify residential activity below lines.

She urged the council planning commissioners to heed the national policy statement on electricity transmission, which aims to protect the integrity of the national grid.

Councils throughout New Zealand are adopting the policy into their district plans.

Environmental lawyer Alan Webb said that although lines were shown on the Waitakere section of the Auckland Plan, no specific rules for a buffer existed.

Transpower had not appealed against the council's 2010 consent for residential conversion which was directly under the same power lines.

Independent commissioners Les Simmons and John Hill said the revised plans and conditions imposed on the consent would allow appropriately use of the land while meeting the national policy to not compromise the grid.

They said they appreciated "there is a risk of line failure and a risk associated with residential buildings being in close proximity to the transmission lines".

"This proposal has responded more appropriately to the transmission lines than the vast majority of existing residential development in the surrounding residential suburbs."

Transpower spokeswoman Rebecca Wilson said it would work with the developers and the Auckland Council to resolve its issues with the consent.

She said Transpower was trying to create corridors around lines to avoid incidents where power had been knocked out because of land use activity below.