MtCookMobilised – Points for submission to WCC on proposed District Plan Change 73 – Centres
Introduction
The Wellington City Council has put two draft changes to its District Plan out for consultation. They are # 72, relating to residential areas, and # 73, relating to (suburban) centres.
Mt Cook is affected by both, as most of the suburb is zoned residential, and the Adelaide Road strip and some of the streets surrounding Adelaide Road are designated as a Centre to be called the Mt Cook Centre.
The proposed changes to the residential chapter are not major insofar as they affect Mt Cook. The changes slightly tighten the rules regarding restrictions on changes to pre 1930 houses eg “demolition” is to include the removal of architectural features on primary walls. Because these changes seem relatively minor, our submission will focus on # 73, relating to Centres.
The Adelaide Road area (in the revised District Plan it is now called the Mt Cook Centre) was the subject of consultation for the “Adelaide Road Framework” project about a year ago. The area runs south from the Basin, and includes the properties to the east of Adelaide Road, and the western boundary reaches Tasman St between Rugby and Douglas, then includes King St and Hanson St. At the South end it goes a short distance into Riddiford St, and includes the previous Bunning and Tiptop sites in Adelaide Road beyond John St.
The Mt Cook Centre is designated a “town centre” in the hierarchy of Centres established in the Plan. More significant centres like Kilbirnie and Johnsonville are “sub-regional” centres (and also “areas of growth”), other town centres as well as Mt Cook are Newtown, Karori, Miramar and Tawa, and smaller centres are “District” (eg Brooklyn) or “Neighbourhood” (Berhampore).
The Mt Cook Centre has some features in the proposed Plan which make it a bit different from the other town centres, and get it a bit more like Johnsonville as a sub-regional centre. Mt Cook Centre is designated as an area both for more intensive residential growth, and for increasing local opportunities for employment. Along the Adelaide Road frontages, buildings will be able to be 18 metres high – and with consent up to 24 metres (rather than just 12 metres (and up to 18 with consent) in the rest of the Mt Cook Centre and the other town centres). Residential accommodation is to be limited to levels above Level 1 on Adelaide Road, and above Ground level in the rest of the Centre, ie there will be no ground floor residential accommodation in new buildings in the Centre.
The effects of this intensive development will increase the pressures (traffic, parking, noise, safety, etc) on the surrounding Mt Cook community, particularly for residents that live close to the Centre boundary. As we have found in our discussions with WCC on the proposed Foodstuffs supermarket, it is not easy to get a proper focus on these cross boundary impacts when developers are applying for consents and have complied with the planning requirements that apply within the Centre. For example, in future any development that requires more than 70 parking places will be a “discretionary” activity requiring consent, but this does not mean that adjacent residents will be notified. And many new developments may fit the “permitted” category, with consent as of right.
The draft Plan for Centres includes references to cross boundary sensitivities and pressures and indicates that these effects will be considered, but does not require the Council to either advise or seek the views of affected residents on such issues. We understand that recent law changes have strengthened this non-consultation approach.
So the suggested focus for our submission is on strengthening the requirements for Council and/or the developer to notify and consult with the surrounding community when applications for consents to developments within the Centre are made.
The following submission was made to WCC in November 2009, following input from Mt Cook Mobilised members. Read the submission here.