Rules aim to keep city in character

New rules aimed at making the most of central Auckland's key features while ensuring the quality of future development came into force yesterday.

Eight years in the making, the Auckland City Council District Plan divides the central city into 13 areas or precincts - each with its own distinct character. Development in each precinct must complement its present character. The plan comes after intense lobbying, including 4000 public submissions.

Vijay Lala, manager of the council's central area team, said the plan set the development direction for key precincts such as Queen St valley, Viaduct Harbour, Britomart and University of Auckland.

"It addresses all things like building heights, activity, public open space, design and appearance control for buildings in certain areas."

The plan, covering the area from Victoria Park to Grafton Rd/Stanley St down to the harbour, is the third and final section of the District Plan. Work started on other parts of the plan 16 years ago, while the Hauraki Gulf Islands and the Isthmus section were completed in 1996 and 1999.

Britomart, Western Reclamation and Victoria Park Market are still being reviewed.

The retail strategy allows flexibility and a wide range of activities, reducing the chances of pockets of the city having empty buildings.

The plan protects the prime retail Queen St corridor and Karangahape Rd ridge.

Any shopping developments will have to show how they affect the environment, particularly traffic.

The plan aims to control height limits and allow sunlight into public places.

In the Harbour Edge, the scale of new buildings will have to fit with the area and allow views between the harbour and central area.

Developers can win brownie points. They can have extra floor area if their designs are sympathetic to the public need for sunlight and outlook, and also by providing works of art, walkways, plaza and conservation of heritage buildings, restrooms and cycle parking.

But the plan also requires development contributions towards adverse effects of new projects.

New buildings must not cause wind around them to exceed fixed measures of velocity and turbulence in the street, designed to stop new buildings making wind worse.

While the plan does not have any control over noise from vehicles it does have rules for entertainment venues. Property owners will have a greater responsibility to keep the volume down.

Stringent noise levels apply to residential precincts such as Greys Ave, Whitaker Pl and Parliament St, and around the university and AUT.

Mr Lala said throughout the long process, no issues were "particularly controversial".