Road delays spur campaign

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Delays caused by the Resource Management Act mean a motorway project through the Prime Minister's Mt Albert electorate will not be open until 2015, says the Automobile Association.

Its northern regional manager, Stephen Selwood, yesterday cited the extension of State Highway 20 through Avondale as an example of why the Government should streamline and simplify the act.

He produced a Transit New Zealand report showing the resource management process for the Avondale section of the state highway would take up to seven years - longer than the time needed to build the road.

The report said construction would start in late 2009, and the road would not be completed until 2015.



"We simply can't afford to wait that long to complete this essential link," Mr Selwood said. "The target date for completion should be 2007.

Five parks, Auckland's largest waterfall, Unitec and the Pollen Island marine reserve are in the path of options for extending State Highway 20 through Avondale.

Hendon Park, one of the bases of the Mt Albert Rugby League Club, and the Phyllis St Reserve, home of the Metro soccer club, could be bulldozed.

Cost estimates range from $190 million to $880 million, depending on whether the extension is above ground or uses tunnels to overcome environmental and social concerns.

Mr Selwood said the resource management process was prone to exploitation by minority interests which used multiple consents and appeals to the Environment Court to delay critical projects.

The AA was raising the issue during the election because Government ministers did not believe the Resource Management Act process was flawed.

They believed that work done to manage cases more effectively was enough, he said.

"We want the Government to acknowledge that there is a real problem, and that delays of up to seven years for critical projects are not acceptable," Mr Selwood said.

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said last night that Helen Clark had not seen the Transit report and would seek further information on it before commenting.

National is promising to short-circuit the Resource Management Act timetable to help to fix Auckland's traffic jam. Act has promised a major overhaul of the legislation.

* The Greenbelt organisation is this week before the Environment Court trying to stop the Hillsborough Rd-to-Mt Roskill leg of State Highway 20, budgeted to cost $158 million.

The organisation is arguing that Keith Hay Park, Winstone Park and the Mt Roskill volcanic cone will be changed forever, and 4000 students at local schools will have to breathe deadly fumes.

Feature: Getting Auckland moving

Live traffic reports

Rideline Auckland public transport information