Bill’s passage keeps Auckland Plan on track

The passage of the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill though Parliament today will ensure that the new Auckland Unitary Plan is able to be concluded during this term of council, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith said today.

"Putting together a new single plan for the Auckland Super City is the largest and most complex job undertaken under the Resource Management Act, covering a third of our total population. It is critical for the future of the city that this plan is concluded in a timely way and this Bill is about ensuring that this can be done,” Dr Smith says.

“The changes in the Bill enable a quorum of two rather than three on the Hearings Panel, allows for the appointment of additional commissioners, clarifies that the Panel may hold concurrent sessions and alternate chairs appointed. This will allow submissions on site-specific matters to be heard from January, in time to make recommendations to Auckland Council by 22 July 2016. The Bill also enables the Panel to progressively report on the new plan to Auckland Council, rather than in a single report, and makes other minor amendments to ensure the planning process is robust, fair and efficient.

"The independent Hearings Panel has done an outstanding job of working through the complex policy issues of the Unitary Plan, including hearing over 60,000 submission points. This change will ensure that the Panel can hear the approximately 20,000 separate requests raised in submissions on issues relating to more than 150,000 properties across Auckland. It will be impossible to hear all of these as a single panel in the time remaining. Today's changes will enable the panel to split into three panels to resolve these issues.

"Auckland is growing strongly and the mishmash of plans from the eight old councils means that new development is complex, confusing and poorly managed. The Special Housing Areas legislation is providing a temporary fast-track solution but this law expires in October next year. The completion of the Auckland Unitary Plan will provide for better co-ordination and less complicated consenting of development.

"The Bill has had the strong support of the Auckland Council and the Hearings Panel. The next step will be appointing the new Panel members in consultation with the Auckland Council, the Independent Maori Statutory Board and the Chairperson of the Hearings Panel.”