ATLAS CONCRETE LIMITED - Auckland Council · 2015. 4. 6. · 1.1.6 Atlas Concrete lodged a submission on theProposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) on 28 February 2014(Submission No

ATLAS CONCRETE LIMITED

Proposed Business 9 Rezoning of land at 7 -11 Wairau Road and 8-12 Thornton Road, Takapuna ADDENDUM TO AEE Document 5

FEBRUARY 2015

REVISION HISTORY

Revision No Prepared By Description Date

1 Owen Taylor Addendum to AEE 13 February 2015

DOCUMENT ACCEPTANCE

Action Name Signed Date

Prepared by Owen Taylor

13 February 2015

Reviewed by David Haines

20 February 2015

Approved by David Haines

20 February 2015

On behalf of Haines Planning Consultants Ltd

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No

1.0 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................1

2.0 URBAN DESIGN ...............................................................................2

2.1 Character of, and Strategic Direction for, Plan Change Locality ........2 2.2 Protection for Surrounding Residential Zones ...................................4

2.3 Physical Buffer ..................................................................................7 2.4 No Provision for Heavy Industrial Activity on Plan Change Site .........7

2.5 Rationale for Plan Change Approach .................................................8

3.0 TRANSPORT ....................................................................................9

3.1 General ..............................................................................................9 3.2 Access to Thornton Street............................................................... 12

4.0 FUTURE USE OF THE PLAN CHANGE SITE ................................ 12

TABLE OF CONTENTS continued

ANNEXURES

Annexure 1: Information and Communications Post-Lodgement Annexure 2: Copy of Resource Consent Application LT-2140306 and

Post-Lodgement Communications Annexure 3: Unitary Plan Submission Annexure 4: Indicative Site Plan Annexure 5: Unitary Plan Maps and Provisions

Copyright and intellectual property rights for this document remain the property of Haines Planning Consultants Limited

HAINES PLANNING Date: 20 February 2015 Reference: 1403 ADDENDUM RPT OT 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background and Purpose 1.1.1 A Private Plan Change request (PC39) to rezone the subject site

(PC-site), being 7-11 Wairau Road and 8-12 Thornton Road, Milford, was lodged with Auckland Council on 14 June 2012. The Plan Change request comprised of the following documentation:

• Plan Change Request • Section 32 Analysis • Assessment of Effects on the Environment (AEE) • Specialist Annexures containing an Integrated Transport

Assessment and an Infrastructure Report. 1.1.2 Council officers raised a number of issues in respect of PC39,

pertaining primarily to urban design, stormwater and transportation matters. A request for further information under Clause 23(1) of the RMA was made by Council on 17 July 2012 in this regard. We attach the responses and other post-lodgement communications in Annexure 1.

1.1.3 By agreement with the Council, PC39 was placed on hold pending the outcome of High Court proceedings relating to the Auckland Transport’s designation of the proposed fourth-leg access to the PC-site. The Court found in favour of the Applicant, resulting in the reactivation of PC39, together with the lodgement of a resource consent application (refer below) for the access, the latter to be processed following the provision of this addendum to the Council.

1.1.4 The matters pertinently relevant to the Plan Change request are

now being incorporated into the original PC39 documentation by means of this Addendum.

1.1.5 Atlas Concrete is rationalising and reconfiguring its entire site

layout (current operational site at 11-15 Wairau Road plus the PC-site) in order to accommodate the proposed widening of Wairau Road and improvement of vehicular and pedestrian access arrangements. Atlas Concrete therefore lodged a resource consent application (Council Reference LT-2140306) on 11 November 2014 (See Annexure 2) to authorise at the PC-site:


• A 15m wide access to the signalised intersection (at the Westlake Girls High School entrance), which exceeds the maximum permitted width of 5.5m under the District Plan; and

• the generation of more than 100 vehicle trips per day (included as an amendment to the resource consent application);

The resource consent application is accompanied by a Transportation Assessment Report, dated 17 December 2013, prepared by Traffic Design Group. It is important that this resource consent application be read in conjunction with PC39 as it deals with the more detailed District Plan matters. In this regard, it is noted that PC39 does not seek to change the generic controls of the District Plan provisions pertaining to transportation matters.

1.1.6 Atlas Concrete lodged a submission on the Proposed Auckland

Unitary Plan (PAUP) on 28 February 2014 (Submission No 5599)(See Annexure 3). The submission seeks an outcome which is similar to that sought under this PC39. The Indicative Site Plan included under Annexure 4 herein, is the same plan included under Annexure 3 of the PAUP submission, titled “Example of Indicative Site Plan to be Part of the Precinct Planning Rules”, thereby demonstrating the similarity in outcomes, albeit that the PAUP offers a wider scope in terms of residential use.

1.1.7 It is considered appropriate to include matters pertaining to the

pending resource consent application (LT-2140306) and the PAUP submission (5599) when considering PC39 as these are all interrelated and should be addressed as a whole.

2.0 URBAN DESIGN

2.1 Character and Strategic Direction for Plan Change Locality

2.1.1 The PC-site falls within the distinguishable ‘block’ bounded by Wairau stream to the north, Wairau Road to the west, Thornton Road to the east and Shakespeare Road to the south. The block comprises 24 comparably sized lots, 15 (62%) of which are presently in non-residential use, indicating that the block is already characterised by non-residential activities.


2.1.2 The predominance of non-residential activities is commensurate with the block’s location on the key transportation corridors of Wairau Road and Shakespeare Road. The relevant higher order planning documents, including the City Plan1 and The Auckland Plan2, reflect this by identifying the block as being suitable for growth and change, with the former specifying its suitability for intensive business redevelopment. That policy stance reflects the encouragement in the Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS) for business activity outside centres to be focused on key transportation corridors. The District Plan is required to ‘give effect’ to the ARPS.

2.1.3 In identifying the block for intensive business redevelopment, it is clear that the City Plan views the land as being more closely related to the Wairau Road corridor than the residential environment of Thornton Road. It is also consistent with the typical strategic planning approach whereby land is addressed on a ‘block by block’, rather than ‘title by title’ basis, recognising that public roads typically provide a meaningful buffer between land uses. This is particularly the case in relation to Thornton Road with its generous 20m wide road reserve.

2.1.4 The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan3 (PAUP) has appropriately zoned this ‘block’, as “Mixed Use”, which provides for residential uses as well as a range of commercial uses, limited office and light industrial activities, amongst others as a permitted activity. See Annexure 5 to this Addendum for the PAUP Zoning Map and relevant Land Use table.

2.1.5 The strategic planning framework thereby points towards the block taking on more of a commercial character. It is recognised, however, that the Plan Change request can only deliver that strategic direction on the land under Atlas Concrete’s control. The PAUP process seeks to have the remaining six lots that are in residential use (namely 1-5 Wairau Road and 2-6 Thornton Road) rezoned for “Mixed Use” purposes. It will be reasonable to suggest that market forces will, in due course, cause the other residential properties in the block to change to commercial activities.

1 North Shore City Council City Plan 2009-2024 (November 2010). 2 The Auckland Plan, Auckland Council (May 2012) 3 The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan - Maps (30 September 2014)


2.2 Protection for Surrounding Residential Zones

2.2.1 In recognition of the above, the proposed Business 9 zoning for the PC-site includes ‘Buffer Strip’ controls that apply to all business zoned land within 30m of a residential zone4. For the purposes of measuring the 30m, the Definitions section of the District Plan confirms that, where a road lies between sites zoned for residential and business purposes, the zone boundary is taken as being the centre line of the road. This obviously results in the Buffer Strip controls applying to a greater area of the business zoned land than if the measurement were taken from the residential zone boundary, as occurs where business and residential zones abut one another.

2.2.2 The PC-site adjoins a residential zone to the south-east, while there is also residentially zoned land beyond Thornton Road, to the north-east and the Westlake Girls High School, on the opposite side of Wairau Road (to the south-west), has an underlining residential zoning. Both Thornton Road and Wairau Road help separate the Plan Change site from the residential zones beyond (by way of their generous widths), but the 30m Buffer Strip controls nonetheless apply to the majority of the site. In fact, only a relatively small area of the Plan Change site, towards the boundary of the adjoining concrete batching plant, is not subject to the Buffer Strip provisions (refer to the plan at Annexure 4 of the AEE – Document 3 of this PC39).

2.2.3 Under District Plan Rule 15.5.1.3, any activity which results in a change in the appearance of Buffer Strip land (or building(s) therein), or results in activity which is not similar in character to the previous activity, requires controlled activity resource consent5. This all-encompassing control has the effect of capturing almost all forms of development or activity and applies across the Plan Change site.

2.2.4 The consequent resource consent application(s) are required to be assessed against the wide ranging and comprehensive assessment criteria set out under Clauses 15.7.1.16 and 15.7.1.67 of the District Plan. A copy of those provisions is included at Annexure 2 to the AEE (Document 3 of this PC39), but it is noted that they refer to such issues as:

4 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-45 5 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-40 6 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-90 7 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-97


15.7.1.1 The extent to which buildings and development are appropriate to the character and quality of their surrounds; The extent to which proposals will impact on the visual amenity values of properties within adjoining zones; and Whether landscaping screens or softens parking, loading, storage and other activity areas and, where appropriate, provides a buffer between potentially incompatible activities. 15.7.1.6 Development should be designed to protect the aural amenity of adjoining residential and recreation zoned land; Development should be designed to minimise effects on the privacy of residentially zoned sites; and Development should be designed to minimise shadowing and the visual domination of the outlook from adjacent residential zoned sites.

2.2.5 The reference under Clause 15.7.1.1 above to resource consent

application(s) for buildings and development on the PC-site needing to be appropriate to the ‘character and quality’ of the surrounding area is worthy to note.

2.2.6 Further special limitations also apply to the permitted building height thresholds and range of permitted activities within the Buffer Strip. For example, Rule 15.6.1.8 of the District Plan8 states that no outdoor activity, other than customer or employee parking, is permitted on any part of a site that falls within a Buffer Strip, while Rule 15.6.1.79 places limitations on amplified music activities and the associated hours of operation within Buffer Strips. In addition, it is also noted that the special Buffer Strip controls are bolstered by the other more typical District Plan development controls that apply to such matters as ‘height in relation to boundary limits’ and ‘landscape yards’ within the Business 9 zone10.

8 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-52 9 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-51 10 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-64 and p.15-74.


2.2.7 In combination, all of these existing controls provide a high degree of protection to the amenity of residentially zoned land in the locality of the PC-site, including the adjoining residential land to the south east. The focus is very much on ensuring development on the Business land has regard to, and appropriately addresses, potential adverse effects of residential zoned land. As a generality, the District Plan itself recognises this stating that:

‘The interface between the business and residential zones is considered to be a sensitive area which is particularly susceptible to adverse effects from business activities. As a means of affording residential areas adjacent to business zones extra protection more onerous controls are applied to those parts of business zoned sites which lie within 30 metres of a residential zone boundary’11.

2.2.8 The subsequent ‘Expected Environmental Result’ of this approach

includes:

‘That the visual and environmental amenity of residential zones at the interface with business zones is protected…’ 12.

2.2.9 Similarly, and with specific reference to the Business 9 Zone, the

District Plan states that:

‘Particular attention has been paid to controls which will protect the residential interface. These include Buffer Strip restrictions on activities and the layout of sites, as well as perimeter yard requirements to provide a wide landscaped buffer where sites adjoin residential zones’13.

2.2.10 In view of the above, it is considered that an extended Business 9

zoning on Wairau Road will not have an unacceptable impact on the residential character or environment of Thornton Road. As recognised within the District Plan, the Business 9 Zone ‘…includes some relatively small areas distributed around the city, many immediately adjacent to dwellings and reserves’ 14. Through implementation of the Buffer Strip limitations, in combination with the other development controls of the District Plan, those activities can successfully exist in proximity to one

11 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-12, Control of Adverse Effects, Explanation and Reasons. 12 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-12 13 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-29, General 9 and 10 Zones, Explanation and Reasons. 14 Auckland Council District Plan - Operative North Shore Section 2002, p.15-57, heading ‘General 9 Zone’.


another. Forming part of the established District Plan framework, those provisions have been tested through a robust RMA process and considered appropriate.

2.3 Physical Buffer

2.3.1 It should be recognised that the planned activity for the PC-site, namely - office provision with ancillary retail and associated parking - will also provide a physical buffer between the existing batching plant (which will remain in-situ) and the adjoining residential zone to the south-east. While any such office building(s) will be required to comply with the relevant development controls (refer above), it is expected that the scale, mass and height will provide a superior buffer compared to the existing single storey residential units located on part of the PC-site. The aforementioned District Plan controls will ensure that those benefits are achieved through an appropriately located and scaled development which does not create any unacceptable amenity effect, including shadowing or overlooking, as will be assessed through the required resource consent process.

2.3.2 Furthermore, the Indicative Site Plan included under Annexure 3

demonstrates how the effects of the Atlas Concrete batching plant activities are mitigated through landscape planting and the orientation of future buildings. While only indicative, the plan read in conjunction with the District Plan rules provides a good basis upon which the interface between the Business 9 and residential activities can be managed appropriately.

2.4 No Provision for Heavy Industrial Activity on Plan Change Site

2.4.1 It needs to be re-emphasised that the Plan Change request includes a rule, which identifies heavy industrial and trade processes as non-complying activities across the entire PC-site. The rule has been included as it is not Atlas Concrete’s intention to move the established concrete batching plant from its existing location on the adjoining land. The plant will remain in-situ. In this regard, the PC-site will be used for clean and higher order activities (primarily office headquarters and ancillary trade retail) related to the batching plant and the management of Atlas Concrete’s overall operations.


2.5 Rationale for Plan Change Approach

2.5.1 At a more fundamental level, the very reason that a Plan Change request has been sought by Atlas Concrete (rather than a resource consent application) is to provide flexibility in terms of how the subject site is ultimately developed for office and associated parking purposes (with ancillary retail). Detailed design decisions will be influenced by market forces and Atlas Concrete’s operational needs at the given time. The timing of that design process will be influenced by the implementation programme of Auckland Transport’s planned road widening works along Wairau Road, outside the PC-site and the adjoining existing concrete batching plant.

2.5.2 In this context, the Plan Change seeks to set the parameters within which any future resource consent application(s) will be considered by the Council. In other words, it seeks to establish the ‘in principle’ acceptance of a Business 9 zoning across the subject site, leaving the issue of detailed design to be addressed at the later stage through the resource consent process. This is primarily achieved by the all-encompassing terms of District Plan Rule 15.5.1.315 which has the effect of identifying any form of development or land use change on the Plan Change site as requiring resource consent. In turn, the Council has discretion over the range of matters listed under clauses 15.7.1.1 and 15.7.1.6 of the District Plan (refer Annexure 2 of the AEE, Document 3).

2.5.3 The Plan Change request therefore establishes the process mechanism to ensure that necessary design considerations will be addressed, particularly with regard to ensuring that proposed buildings and development safeguard the amenity of residential properties in the locality. To encapsulate matters, subsequent land use consent will be needed before any meaningful development is authorised on the Plan Change site.

2.5.4 As indicated before, the site layout and scale of future development on the Plan Change site will be determined by a number of factors, not least, the District Plan rules. At this stage, technical investigations have confirmed that the site is capable of being developed, with matters of detail to be addressed at the later resource consenting stage.

15 Refer footnote 4 above.


2.5.5 Notwithstanding the above, the Indicative Site Plan included under Annexure 3 shows a framework for development which allows for flexibility at the detailed resource consent level whilst being robust enough to demonstrate adequate measures to protect neighbouring residences against undue adverse effects that may arise from activities on the entire Atlas Concrete site.

2.5.6 The above considerations provide the urban design context within which PC39 must be considered. It is evident that the PC39, read in conjunction with the District Plan provisions for the Business 9 zone, provides an appropriate framework within which the urban design effects emanating from the Atlas Concrete site can be managed more than adequately when resource consent for site re-development is considered. The nature of the existing environment, together with the higher order planning directions of the District Plan, provide the underlying premise for change, while PC39 includes provisions that ensure that proper and full regard be had to the nature and character of the surrounding area as part of any future on-site development proposal.

3.0 TRANSPORT

3.1 General

3.1.1 Document 3 of PC39 includes an assessment of the transportation effects emanating from the land use change of the PC-site from its current Residential 4 and Residential 7 zoning to Business 9. This assessment was supported by an Integrated Transport Assessment Report (ITA), dated November 2011, by Traffic Design Group (TDG). (Included under Document 4 – Specialist Annexures). This assessment addressed:

• The existing traffic environment on Wairau Road; • The suitability of the proposed vehicle access location; • The traffic effects associated with a change from the

Residential zone to a Business zone; and • The capacity of Wairau Road to accommodate the

expected trips generated by commercial activity on the PC-site.

The ITA concludes that the theoretical development potential associated with PC39, for the PC-site, will result in acceptable


effects on the function, capacity and safety of the existing local traffic environment.

3.1.2 Atlas Concrete has, since lodgment of PC39, advanced its options for the development of the entire Atlas concrete site to an extent where the Indicative Site Plan, included under Annexure 3, serves as a framework for the rationalization and future development of the site. This development framework has been informed by the following:

• Accommodation of the 5m road widening of Wairau Road

in terms of Designation 189; • Restriction of vehicular access to Thornton Road; • Relocation of the existing vehicle access off Wairau Road

to the Wairau Road/Westlake Girls High School signalized intersection;

• Landscape yards as required by District Plan in order to protect visual amenity of surrounding areas;

• Vehicular manoeuvring requirements for loading and parking of trucks; and

• Location of new office buildings in a manner to mitigate potential adverse effects emanating from the batching plant and truck activities.

3.1.3 Central to the development framework of the entire site is the

relocation of the existing vehicular access to the signalized intersection, which currently serves Westlake Girls High School. This access arrangement requires a resource consent for the generation of a turnover of more than 100 vehicles per day as well as having a vehicle crossing which exceeds the District Plan standards. Atlas Concrete has accordingly lodged that resource consent application (LT-2140306) as outlined in paragraph 1.1.5. A copy of the resource consent application, which includes a revised TIA by Traffic Design Group, dated December 2013, is included under Annexure 1.

3.1.4 The revised TIA addresses, amongst others, the following:

• The existing traffic environment on Wairau Road; • The suitability of the proposed vehicle access location in

comparison to the existing provisions; and • The integration with the signalised intersection of Wairau

Road and Westlake Girls High School.


These assessments will include vehicle generation by the Atlas Concrete site as a whole as well as a sensitivity analysis for double the current generation figures. The TIA accompanying the resource consent application also addresses matters raised by Council officers in their request for a revised TIA.

3.1.5 Traffic Design Group concludes their Transportation Assessment

Report with the following statement.

‘The proposal to relocate the existing ATLAS vehicle crossing on Wairau Road has been assessed in terms of safety and efficiency. Overall, the proposal to move the crossing to the new leg of an existing traffic signal controlled crossing opposite Westlake Girls High School is expected to result in the following:

• Little to no change to Westlake Girls High School driveway

(providing existing phase times is maintained). • Minimal effect to the through traffic delay on Wairau Road

(intersection still well within typical capacity limits). • Significant improvement to the safety of the overall network,

particularly pedestrians. Overall, the proposal is considered to have a positive traffic effect.’

3.1.6 As noted, the subject site is to be used to accommodate a

consolidated office function (with ancillary trade retailing) and associated parking activities related to the adjoining existing concrete batching plant. It is primarily a rationalization of the existing facilities, inclusive of office space and ancillary trade retail, and the site layout to accommodate the Wairau Road widening and operational needs.

3.1.7 Taking account of the above, and given that the detail to any

future office redevelopment of the subject site is not known at this stage (as this will be influenced by Atlas Concrete’s operational needs at the time of redevelopment), the revised TIA assesses the environmental effects associated with the actual traffic generation on the entire Atlas Concrete site, inclusive of a sensitivity analysis of double the current traffic generation, which is considered to be less than likely. It is therefore evident that the traffic effects emanating from PC 39, read in conjunction with envisaged development of the entire Atlas Concrete site, as per the Indicative Site Plan, will be insignificant. Rather, it is considered that the overall effect from PC39, which enables the relocated vehicle access arrangement, will be positive.


3.2 Access to Thornton Street

3.2.1 As indicated on the Indicative Site Plan, it is proposed that vehicle access to the overall Atlas Concrete site will be limited to Wairau Road, more specifically the signalised Westlake Girls High School intersection. This notion acknowledges the role of Wairau Road as a key transportation corridor, while also taking account of the existing residential nature of Thornton Road. This reflects the existing situation at the adjoining batching plant whereby apparent previous legal vehicle crossings onto Thornton Road have been removed.

3.2.2 Notwithstanding the above, it is acknowledged that the Council would like further assurance that Atlas Concrete (nor any future alternative owner of the land) will not seek to access on-going commercial activity on the Plan Change site from Thornton Road. In particular, the concern is understood to relate to heavy goods vehicles given that they are obviously not easily absorbed into a residential setting. It is consequently suggested that the following further site-specific clause be added to Rule 15.5.1.6 of the District Plan, as part of the Plan Change request:

o) The following shall be a Non-Complying activity in the Business 9 zone at Lot 2 DP 57210, Lot 53 DP 8798 and Lot 54 DP 8798: The provision of any vehicle crossing to Thornton Road (Takapuna) for use by heavy goods vehicles (other than emergency vehicles).

3.2.3 Notwithstanding all the points made, inclusion of the above Rule should further address the traffic matters identified by the Council in relation to PC39.

4.0 FUTURE USE OF THE PLAN CHANGE SITE

4.1 The intention of the Plan Change request is to provide Atlas Concrete Ltd with the opportunity to provide for office (with ancillary trade retailing) and associated parking activities on the subject site. This will enable the Requester to respond to on-going operational needs and the impacts of Auckland Transport’s planned road widening works along Wairau Road.


4.2 In light of the above, and recognising the surrounding existing

environment, the proposed Plan Change request inserts new provisions into the District Plan confirming that heavy industrial activities and processes are not provided for on the Plan Change site (being identified as non-complying activities). In this way, the Plan Change request limits the types of commercial activities that may normally establish in the Business 9 Zone. Any future development proposal for the Plan Change site will need to be considered against those terms.

4.3 PC39 now also incorporates an Indicative Site Plan, which provides a broad based framework within which Atlas Concrete envisages the future development of the entire site. Read in conjunction with the inherent Buffer Strip controls contained in the District Plan, these measures would offer Council and the local residents with sufficient comfort and assurance of being able to appropriately manage potential effects that may arise from the development of the site.

4.4 In summary, the Plan Change request is underpinned by Atlas

Concrete’s need to meet its on-going operational needs. Specifically, the land will be used for ancillary (and non-industrial) purposes related to the existing adjoining batching plant. In this way, the Plan Change request provides the opportunity for the subject site and the existing adjoining batching plant to ultimately function as a single entity (and planning unit), whilst also contributing positively to the surrounding traffic efficiency and pedestrian safety as well as visual improvements to the local environment.

SIGNED: DATE: 20 February 2015 FOR AND BEHALF OF: Atlas Concrete Limited ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: Haines Planning Consultants Ltd. PO Box 90842 Victoria Street West AUCKLAND 1142 Attention: David Haines


Phone: (09) 360 1182 Fax: (09) 360 0182 Email: [email protected]

1403 ADDENDUM RPT OT

16 August 2012 Mr W Maclennan Manager North West Planning Auckland Council Private Bag 92300 Auckland 1142 Dear Warren Atlas Concrete Ltd Private Plan Change Request 7-11 Wairau Road & 8-12 Thornton Road, Takapuna We write to respond to the matters raised in the Council’s further information request dated 17 July 2012. We address each matter below in corresponding order as appears within the request. The response to each of the queries takes account of both the formal request itself and the associated background comments made by the Council in setting the scene to each request. 1. Further Information Request Urban Design Request 1: ‘Provide specialist urban design commentary, accompanied by annotated plans, addressing the character of the surrounding area associated with the PPC. Furthermore, address the potential effects on this character with the advent of the proposed extension to the Business 9 zone’.

Character of & Strategic Direction for Plan Change Locality

1. The Plan Change site falls within the distinguishable ‘block’ bounded by Wairau stream to the north, Wairau Road to the west, Thornton Road to the east and Shakespeare Road to the south. The block comprises 24 comparably sized lots, 15 (62%) of which are presently in non-residential

HAINES PLANNING Reference: 1403 LTR 2

use, indicating that the block is already characterised by non-residential uses.

2. The predominance of non-residential uses is perhaps not surprising relative to the block’s location on the key transportation corridors of Wairau Road and Shakespeare Road. The relevant higher order planning documents, including the City Plan1 and The Auckland Plan2, reflect this, identifying the block as being suitable for growth and change, with the former specifying its suitability for intensive business redevelopment. That policy stance reflects the encouragement in the Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS) for business activity outside centres to be focused on key transportation corridors. The District Plan is required to ‘give effect’ to the ARPS.

3. In identifying the block for intensive business redevelopment, it is clear that the City Plan views the land as being more closely related to the Wairau Road corridor than the residential environment of Thornton Road. It is also consistent with the typical strategic planning approach whereby land is addressed on a ‘block by block’, rather than ‘title by title’ basis, recognising that public roads typically provide a meaningful buffer between land uses. This is particularly the case in relation to Thornton Road which is flanked by generous road reserves. It is that degree of separation that would appear to have assisted Atlas Concrete to establish the existing concrete batching plant on the adjoining land to the north west of the Plan Change site.

4. The strategic planning framework thereby points towards the block taking on a wholly commercial character. It is recognised, however, that the Plan Change request can only deliver that strategic direction on the land under Atlas Concrete’s control. The remaining six lots that are in residential use (namely 1-5 Wairau Road and 2-6 Thornton Road) would need to be rezoned under the emerging Unitary Plan process. Protection for Surrounding Residential Zones

5. In recognition of the above, the proposed Business 9 zoning for the Plan Change site includes ‘Buffer Strip’ controls that apply to all business zoned land within 30m of a residential zone3. For the purposes of measuring the 30m, the Definitions section of the District Plan confirms that, where a road lies between sites zoned for residential and business purposes, the zone boundary is taken as being the centre line of the road. This obviously results in the Buffer Strip controls applying to a

1 North Shore City Council City Plan 2009-2024 (November 2010). 2 The Auckland Plan, Auckland Council (May 2012) 3 NSCC District Plan Rule 15.6.1.2 (Buffer Strip) states that ‘any part of business zoned site which falls within 30m of a residential zone boundary shall form part of the Buffer Strip’.


greater area of the business zoned land than if the measurement were taken from the residential zone boundary, as occurs where business and residential zones abut one another.

6. The Plan Change site adjoins a residential zone to the south east, while there is also residentially zoned land beyond Thornton Road, to the north east and the Westlake Girls High School, on the opposite side of Wairau Road (to the south west), has an underlining residential zoning. Both Thornton Road and Wairau Road help separate the Plan Change site from the residential zones beyond (by way of their generous widths), but the 30m Buffer Strip controls nonetheless apply to the majority of the site. In fact, only a relatively small area of the Plan Change site, towards the boundary of the adjoining concrete batching plant, is not subject to the Buffer Strip provisions (refer to the plan at Annexure 1).

7. Under District Plan Rule 15.5.1.3, any activity which results in a change in the appearance of Buffer Strip land (or building(s) therein), or results in activity which is not similar in character to the previous activity, requires controlled activity resource consent4. This all-encompassing control has the effect of capturing almost all forms of development or activity and applies across the Plan Change site5.

8. The consequent resource consent application(s) are required to be assessed against the wide ranging and comprehensive assessment criteria set out under Clauses 15.7.1.1 and 15.7.1.6 of the District Plan. A copy of those provisions is included at Annexure 2, but it is noted that they refer to such issues as:

15.7.1.1

• The extent to which buildings and development are appropriate to the character and quality of their surrounds;

• The extent to which proposals will impact on the visual amenity values of properties within adjoining zones; and

4 Under District Plan Rule 15.5.1.3, controlled activity resource consent is required for ‘Any activity on a site within a Buffer Strip (i.e. includes all those parts of a business zoned site which lie within 30 metres of a residential zone boundary.., which:

• Results in changes to the external appearance of any site or any building visible from and within 30m of any road or residential zone;

• Increases the cubic capacity of building(s); • Alters pedestrian or vehicle access to the site; or • Results in an activity which is not similar in character to the previous activity on the

site’. 5 With the exception of the small area of the Plan Change site that falls outside the Buffer Strip, as shown on the plan at Annexure 1.


• Whether landscaping screens or softens parking, loading, storage and other activity areas and, where appropriate, provides a buffer between potentially incompatible activities.

15.7.1.6

• Development should be designed to protect the aural amenity of adjoining residential and recreation zoned land;

• Development should be designed to minimise effects on the privacy of residentially zoned sites; and

• Development should be designed to minimise shadowing and the visual domination of the outlook from adjacent residential zoned sites.

9. The reference under Clause 15.7.1.1 above to resource consent

application(s) for buildings and development on the Plan Change needing to be appropriate to the ‘character and quality’ of the surrounding area is worthy of highlight given this is an issue raised by the Council.

10. Further special limitations also apply to the permitted building height thresholds6 and range of permitted activities7 within Buffer Strip land. In addition, it can also not be forgotten that the special Buffer Strip controls are bolstered by the other more typical District Plan development controls that apply to such matters as ‘height in relation to boundary limits’ and ‘landscape yards’ within the Business 9 zone8.

11. In combination, all of these existing controls provide a high degree of protection to the amenity of residentially zoned land in the locality of the Plan Change site, including the adjoining residential land to the south east. The focus is very much on ensuring development on the Business land has regard to, and appropriately addresses, residential land. As a generality, the District Plan itself recognises this stating that:

‘The interface between the business and residential zones is considered to be a sensitive area which is particularly susceptible to adverse effects from business activities. As a means of affording residential areas adjacent to business zones extra protection more onerous controls are

6 Rule 15.6.2.2 of the Operative District Plan restricts permitted building heights within the Buffer Strip of business zoned land to 9m and 12m outside the Strip. 7 Rule 15.6.1.8 of the Operative District Plan states that no outdoor activity, other than customer or employee parking, is permitted on any part of a site that falls within a Buffer Strip. In addition, Rule 15.6.1.7 places limitations on activities and the associated hours of operation within Buffer Strips. 8 Rule 15.6.2.3 of the NSCC Operative Plan sets the ‘Height in Relation to Boundary’ controls for the Business 9 zone while Rules 15.6.2.4 and 15.6.2.8 detail the yard and associated landscape controls.


applied to those parts of business zoned sites which lie within 30 metres of a residential zone boundary’9.

12. The subsequent ‘Expected Environmental Result’ of this approach

includes:

‘That the visual and environmental amenity of residential zones at the interface with business zones is protected…’ 10.

13. Similarly, and with specific reference to the Business 9 Zone, the District

Plan states that:

‘Particular attention has been paid to controls which will protect the residential interface. These include Buffer Strip restrictions on activities and the layout of sites, as well as perimeter yard requirements to provide a wide landscaped buffer where sites adjoin residential zones’11.

14. In view of the above, it is considered that an extended Business 9 zoning

on Wairau Road will not have an unacceptable impact on the residential character or environment of Thornton Road. As recognised within the District Plan, the Business 9 Zone ‘…includes some relatively small areas distributed around the city, many immediately adjacent to dwellings and reserves’ 12. Through implementation of the Buffer Strip limitations, in combination with the other development controls of the District Plan, those activities can successfully exist in proximity to one another. Forming part of the established District Plan framework, those provisions have been tested through a robust RMA process and considered appropriate. Physical Buffer

15. Additionally, it should be recognised that the planned activity for the Plan Change site, namely - office provision with ancillary retail and associated parking - will also provide a physical buffer between the existing batching plant (which will remain in situ) and the adjoining residential zone to the south east. While any such office building(s) will be required to comply with the relevant development controls (refer above), it is expected that the scale, mass and height will provide a superior buffer compared to the existing single storey residential units located on part of the Plan Change site. The aforementioned District Plan controls will ensure that those benefits are achieved through an appropriately located and scaled

9 NSCC Operative District Plan, page 15-12, Control of Adverse Effects, Explanation and Reasons. 10 NSCC Operative District Plan, page 15-12 11 NSCC Operative District Plan, page 15-28, General 9 and 10 Zones, Explanation and Reasons. 12 NSCC Operative District Plan, page 15-57, heading ‘General 9 Zone’.


development which does not create any unacceptable amenity effect, including shadowing or overlooking, as will be assessed through the required resource consent process. No Provision for Heavy Industrial Activity on Plan Change Site

16. It is also worthwhile re-emphasising that the Plan Change request includes a rule which identifies heavy industrial and trade processes as non-complying activities across the entire Plan Change site. The rule has been included as it is not Atlas Concrete’s intention to move the established concrete batching plant from its existing location on the adjoining land. The plant will remain in situ. In this regard, the Plan Change site will be used for clean and higher order activities (primarily office headquarters) related to the batching plant and the management of Atlas Concrete’s overall operations. Rationale for Plan Change Approach

17. At a more fundamental level, the very reason that a Plan Change request has been sought by Atlas Concrete (rather than a resource consent application) is to provide flexibility in terms of how the subject site is ultimately developed for office and associated parking purposes (with ancillary retail). Detailed design decisions will be influenced by market forces and Atlas Concrete’s operational needs at the given time. The timing of that design process will be influenced by the implementation programme of Auckland Transport’s planned road widening works along Wairau Road, outside the Plan Change site and the adjoining existing concrete batching plant.

18. In this context, the Plan Change seeks to set the parameters within which any future resource consent application(s) will be considered by the Council. In other words, it seeks to establish the ‘in principle’ acceptance of a Business 9 zoning across the subject site, leaving the issue of detailed design to be addressed at the later stage through the resource consent process. This is primarily achieved by the all-encompassing terms of District Plan Rule 15.5.1.313 which has the effect of identifying any form of development or land use change on the Plan Change site as requiring resource consent. In turn, the Council has discretion over the range of matters listed under clauses 15.7.1.1 and 15.7.1.6 of the District Plan (refer Annexure 2).

19. The Plan Change request therefore establishes the process mechanism to ensure that necessary design considerations will be addressed, particularly with regard to ensuring that proposed buildings and development safeguard the amenity of residential properties in the

13 Refer footnote 4 above.


locality. To encapsulate matters, subsequent land use consent(s) will be needed before any meaningful development is authorised on the Plan Change site.

20. As touched on above, the site layout and scale of future development on the Plan Change site will be determined by a number of factors, not least, the District Plan rules. At this stage, technical investigations have confirmed that the site is capable of being developed14, with matters of detail to be addressed at the later resource consenting stage.

21. It is also noted that the Council have queried why the proposed Business 9 zoning is considered more suitable than the existing residential zonings of the Plan Change site. In [Gus Properties Ltd v. Malborough DC W075/94, 3] the High Court held that Section 32 (of the Resource Management Act) does not contemplate that for a private Plan Change request the consent authority should compare the existing District Plan zone ordinances with those proposed, or compare one site with another. The decision also found that Section 32 does not require an enquiry as to ‘need’ in terms of whether the activity is present or if there is a sufficiency of that form of activity. The Court determined that an examination of need effectively turned resource management into a type of licencing exercise.

22. Similarly, the High Court has held [Brown vs. Dunedin CC 01/05/03] that Section 32 of the Act does not contemplate that determination of a site specific proposed Plan Change will involve comparison with alternative sites.

23. The consequent Court-adopted approach is that Section 32 obliges the Council to consider whether the Plan Change is necessary for the applicant to be able to carry out the proposed activities, given that the District Plan presently does not enable the applicant to do so. Thus, Section 32 requires the Plan Change to be considered as a device which enables the applicant to carry out the proposed activities.

24. Taking account of the above case law, the proper consideration is whether the site is suitable for the proposed zoning. This matter is addressed within the submitted Section 32 evaluation, which concludes that the various relevant strands of the strategic planning policy framework point towards the Plan Change location as being suitable for commercial intensification. The terms of the Plan Change request are cast so as to enable such development to occur.

14 Whilst recognising that the Council has requested additional information on some aspects of the technical reporting that is provided within this, and associated responses.


25. The above considerations support the finding that a detailed urban design commentary is unnecessary in the circumstances of this Plan Change request. The proposed Plan Change includes provisions to ensure that proper and full regard is had to the character of the surrounding area as part of any future on-site development proposal.

Transport Request 2: ‘Provide a revised Integrated Transport Assessment which assesses the access and traffic generation of the development that would be permitted by Business 9 on the PPC area, including that from Thornton Road which has existing legal access. In particular, the Integrated Transport Assessment should provide information on the expected number of heavy truck movements to and from the site. This is to understand the “worst case” transport effects that would be permitted by the plan change and will allow a decision to be made on evidence provided now, rather than deferring assessment to resource consent stage when the overall land use framework would have been established’.

26. Document 3 of the Plan Change request15 confirms that the general transportation controls of the District Plan (Section 12) state that any activity that generates in excess of 100 daily vehicle movements (200 vehicle manoeuvres per day) requires limited discretionary activity resource consent.

27. As a result, provided that the other transportation development controls of the District Plan are complied with, up to 100 daily vehicle movements are permitted for traffic generating activities across all zones and no resource consent would be required for traffic reasons (except for those activities classified as high traffic generating under clause 15.6.1.3.1 – Business zones). That is the level of vehicle movements allowed for ‘as of right’ under the proposed Business 9 zoning.

28. Taking account of the above, and given that the detail to any future office redevelopment of the subject site is not known at this stage (as this will be influenced by Atlas Concrete’s operational needs at the time of redevelopment), the submitted ITA assessed the environmental effects associated with an increase in traffic generation on the subject site of up to a maximum of 100 daily vehicle movements. Traffic movements beyond that limit would require resource consent which the Council would have the ability to consider and, if necessary, refuse.

29. The Integrated Traffic Assessment found that up to 100 traffic movements per day from the subject site will have a negligible impact on the functioning of the surrounding road network. Indeed, it concludes

15 Refer Document 3 (AEE & Policy Analysis), paragraph 6.4.3)


that this will remain the case even if traffic generation from the site were to increase three fold.

30. It could be argued that the above approach creates uncertainty for Atlas Concrete as it places a fairly restrictive limit on the number of vehicle movements that they can rely on without requiring a future resource consent. The reality however is that, as is consistently confirmed within the Plan Change request documents, the subject site is to be used to accommodate a consolidated office function (with ancillary trade retailing) and associated parking activities related to the adjoining existing concrete batching plant.

31. It is not expected that the redevelopment of the Plan Change site for these purposes will result in a significant increase in the number of vehicles (including ready-mix concrete trucks and other related heavy goods vehicles) that already enter and exit the adjoining batching plant via Wairau Road. Those vehicle movements already occur and are satisfactorily absorbed by the network.

32. Taking account of the above, in assessing the impacts of 100 vehicle movements per day from the subject site, the ITA has adopted a very robust approach. Any ‘new’ or ‘additional’ traffic movements generated by the redevelopment of the Plan Change site, over and above the existing situation, is expected to minimal.

33. Importantly, the office (and ancillary trade retail) space envisaged for the

subject site will largely represent the replacement of existing provision on the adjacent batching plant site. The existing office space will consequently be demolished as part of the process. This will enable Atlas to consolidate the existing dispersed office provision and establish replacement buildings with attendant improvements in visual amenity.

Request 3: ‘Provide information on how access to Thornton Road is to be prevented. Review of the Auckland Council District Plan (North Shore Section) does not appear to offer such restriction, and if a rule is not offered in the PPC, there is nothing to stop the existing or future land owners providing vehicle crossings onto Thornton Road’.

34. As stated in the Plan Change request, it is expected that vehicle access to the Plan Change site will be limited to Wairau Road given its role as a key transportation corridor, while also taking account of the existing residential nature of Thornton Road. This reflects the existing situation at the adjoining batching plant whereby apparent previous legal vehicle crossings onto Thornton Road have been removed. The reason being that ready-mix concrete trucks typically only have around a one hour


window of opportunity to make deliveries before their product is compromised, meaning that direct access to the main arterial road network is an operational imperative for Atlas Concrete.

35. Notwithstanding the above, it is acknowledged that the Council would like further assurance that Atlas Concrete (nor any future alternative owner of the land) will not seek to access on-going commercial activity on the Plan Change site from Thornton Road. In particular, the concern is understood to relate to heavy goods vehicles given that they are obviously not easily absorbed into a residential setting. It is consequently suggested that the following further site specific clause be added to Rule 15.5.1.6 of the District Plan, as part of the Plan Change request:

o) The following shall be a Non-Complying activity in the Business 9 zone at

Lot 2 DP 57210, Lot 53 DP 8798 and Lot 54 DP 8798:

• The provision of any vehicle crossing to Thornton Road (Takapuna) for use by heavy goods vehicles (other than emergency vehicles).

36. Notwithstanding all the points made, inclusion of the above Rule should

be sufficient to address the Council’s stated traffic concerns in relation to the Plan Change proposal.

Stormwater Request 4: ‘Provide an assessment of the potential downstream effects from the PCC site’.

37. The Council’s stormwater comments have been forwarded to Atlas Concrete’s appointed infrastructure engineers (MSC) for their consideration and comment (to be provided under separate cover).

38. As a general comment, however, it should be emphasised that the proposal is for a Private Plan Change request and not a resource consent application. The reporting undertaken by MSC thereby necessarily adopts a ‘high level’ approach in seeking to confirm the ‘in principle’ acceptability of applying a Business 9 zone to the subject site relative to stormwater considerations.

39. It is not considered necessary (nor appropriate) for MSC to provide the level of technical detail that would be expected to form part of a later resource consent application. This is particularly the case given that stormwater matters can typically be satisfactorily addressed via appropriate engineering design.


2. Clarification of Application Documentation ‘What if any assurance does the Council have that the PPC site will be used for ancillary purposes to the Atlas Concrete Ltd batching plant at 11-19 Wairau Road?’

40. We can confirm that the intention of the Plan Change request is to provide Atlas Concrete Ltd with the opportunity to provide for office (with ancillary trade retailing) and associated parking activities on the subject site. As explained within the request, this will enable the Requester to respond to on-going operational needs and the impacts of Auckland Transport’s planned road widening works along Wairau Road.

41. In light of the above, and recognising the surrounding existing environment, the proposed Plan Change request inserts new provisions into the District Plan confirming that heavy industrial activities and processes are not provided for on the Plan Change site (being identified as non-complying activities)16. In this way, the Plan Change request limits the types of commercial activities that may normally establish in the Business 9 Zone. Any future development proposal for the Plan Change site will need to be considered against those terms.

42. Taking account of the above, it is considered that the Plan Change request provides the Council (and the local community) with a good level of assurance that the subject site will not be used for the types of industrial activity presently located on the existing batching plant to the north west.

43. With that matter clarified, the Council’s query can be rephrased to read - ‘what assurance does the Council have that the PPC site will be used for non-industrial purposes ancillary to the adjoining batching plant’.

44. When it comes to ‘Plan-making’, the focus should be on ensuring that activities are appropriately located, rather than on seeking to gain certainty as to which particular party will undertake those activities. In this context, it is of limited relevance whether the Plan Change site is ultimately used by Atlas Concrete or another party for the purposes provided for under the proposed provisions.

45. Notwithstanding the above, Atlas Concrete advise that the Plan Change request is underpinned by the need to meet on-going operational needs. Specifically, the land will be used for ancillary (and non-industrial) purposes related to the existing adjoining batching plant. In this way, the Plan Change request provides the opportunity for the subject site and

16 Refer Document 1 (Plan Change Request), page 11.


the existing adjoining batching plant to ultimately function as a single entity (and planning unit).

‘How does the PPC application address the direction within the North Shore City Council City Plan 2009-2024 in terms of the site providing for ‘suburban areas of relative stability?’.

46. Detailed comment was provided on this matter at sections 4.1.15 – 4.1.27 of the Policy Analysis submitted as part of the Plan Change request 17. Those points are re-addressed below.

47. The ‘Living City’ map (of the North Shore City Plan 2009-2024) shows the subject site and the area to the north as being within ‘suburban areas of relative stability’. The ‘Working City’ map however shows the subject site as forming part of an area suitable for ‘intensive business redevelopment’, and the land to the north of the Forrest Hill Road interchange as being a ‘possible more intensive housing area (longer-term)’. It is evident that there is a degree of conflict between the maps – a matter which is investigated further below.

48. The text that supports the ‘Living City’ map states that ‘the Council, through the City Plan and District Plan, seek to strengthen diversity in housing choice, and retain the character of established residential neighbourhoods.’ To ‘move in this direction’, the City Plan seeks to ‘maintain the character and identity of stable suburban areas’ [emphasis added].

49. It is considered that the Plan Change site does not form part of a ‘stable’ suburban environment – rather, it falls within an area that is in transition, with non-residential uses being predominant on Wairau Road and at the southern ends of Thornton Road and Shakespeare Road. It seems reasonable to suggest that the close proximity of Wairau Road, with its consistent high traffic volumes, has contributed to the transition and nature of the environment (planned or otherwise).

50. Reflective of the above, the Plan Change site is identified as forming part of an area suitable for ‘intensive business area redevelopment’ on the Working City map to the City Plan. That is contrary to the Living City map. It is worthy of note that the ‘redevelopment’ notation on the Working City map applies to the three titles of the Plan Change site that front Thornton Road, as well as the three that front Wairau Road. This is not surprising given that it is the block of land between Wairau Road and Thornton Road that represents the obvious ‘planning unit’ to be addressed at the plan-writing and land use zoning level. To differentiate between those titles would run counter to the long established and well

17 Refer Annexure 3 of Document 3 (AEE and Policy Analysis)


founded approach to land use zoning which typically adopts a ‘block by block’, rather than a ‘title by title’ approach.

51. The ‘Working City’ section of the City Plan also states that ‘employment areas through the ‘central spine’ of the city, in particular areas well served by the motorway network and Busway stations, are located close to major areas of employment’. In order to achieve the ‘Working City’ objectives, the City Plan states that the Council need to ‘enable more intensive business re-development along the ‘central spine’ of the city generally from Takapuna to Albany… utilise the accessibility afforded by the Northern Busway and stations to support business development… [and] continue to provide for employment activity in specific locations across the city.’

52. The Plan Change proposal will clearly assist in meeting the Working City objectives, enabling commercial intensification to occur on the ‘central spine’ between the Sub-Regional Centres of Takapuna and Albany and with excellent accessibility to the Northern Busway system (along the Wairau Road frontage of the site) via the Smales Farm Busway station.

53. The concept of fostering business activity on key transport corridors is also consistent with the underpinning spatial thrust of the Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS), and the more recent Auckland Plan. It is recognised that the Plan Change request is required to give effect to the ARPS.

54. The City Plan encapsulates the above by stating that the ‘City Directions’ reflect ‘…not only the importance of the city’s environment and existing suburban areas where most people live, but also the importance of our town centres and corridors where people live, work and play. It is proposed that most growth and development will occur in and around these centres and corridors, including the accessible central corridor (or ‘spine’) from Takapuna to Albany that forms the backbone of the city’s business and employment, and is generally the most accessible part of the city’.

55. The City Plan recognises that the Directions are influenced by the fact that ‘…the city has a limited amount of business land. After the remaining vacant sites have been developed, business and job growth will only be achieved through more intensive use of existing land…The lack of new undeveloped business land will herald the need and demand for progressive business land redevelopment in the southern part of the city in the corridor from Takapuna through to Smales Farm and significantly the Wairau Valley….predominant business redevelopment will transform this highly accessible location…’.


56. In the longer term (and as indicated by the Working City map), the City Plan envisages the Wairau Valley section of the central corridor or ‘spine’ (to the north of the Plan Change site) being flanked by intensive housing areas, to provide employees to the redeveloped and intensified employment corridor. That will also have the benefit of providing a meaningful activity buffer between the intensified residential area and the busy transportation corridor of Wairau Road.

57. Taking account of all the above matters, it is considered that the identification of the Plan Change locality as a suburban area of relative stability, on the Living City map, is outweighed by the simple and strong direction for the land to form part of an intensive business corridor linking the Sub-Regional Centres of Albany and Takapuna. This is compounded by the fact that the Working City map seeks to visually convey the underpinning thrust of the City Plan’s vision, while the Living City Plan merely records the general make-up of the existing environment (and even then with some apparent inaccuracies).

‘Please identify where in the Auckland Plan the subject site is located within an ‘area of significant change’ where some buildings of 9 storeys (plus) may be suitable’.

58. Document 3 of the Plan Change request includes reference to the subject site falling within an ‘area of significant change’ within the Auckland Plan18. That finding was based on the Committee Version of Auckland Plan which, at the time of writing of the Plan Change request, represented the most up-to-date version available. Since that time, Auckland Council has published a printed version of the Auckland Plan which includes less pixelated and generally better defined planning maps.

59. While there remains a degree of uncertainty when interpreting Maps D1 and D2 of the printed Auckland Plan (due to a less than clear ‘key’ and the closeness between the colours used to define the various ‘areas of change’), it appears that the Plan Change site falls within an area of ‘moderate change’.19 In areas of ‘moderate change’ growth is provided for, with buildings ‘up to 3 or 4 storeys’ envisaged, and it is estimated that up to a third of sites will be redeveloped over a 30 year period 20.

60. The vision of the Auckland Plan for buildings up to 3 or 4 storeys (which equates to up to 12m) in the locality of the Plan Change site appears appropriate given that it is similar to the height of the existing Westlake

18 Plan Change Document 3, paragraph 6.3.5. 19 It is also recognised that the shading used within the Auckland Plan to define the areas is deliberately blurred to recognise that they are not intended to be separated by hard boundaries. 20 Auckland Plan (May 2012), page 54.


Girls High School buildings on the opposite side of Wairau Road, while other buildings in the area, such as the Metlifecare, Smales Business Park and TelstraClear complexes, include building heights of 20m(+).

61. Building heights of 3 or 4 storeys are also similar to the provisions of the Plan Change request which, in applying a Business 9 zoning to the subject site will, in combination with the Buffer Strip provisions, enable a building height of 9m across the subject site (equivalent to 3 storeys)21. This is comparable to the 8m permitted building height of the existing residential zoning.

62. These provisions, in combination with the other controls that apply within the proposed Business 9 zone, are considered sufficient to safeguard the amenity of surrounding residential properties.

63. Taking account of the above, the location of the Plan Change site within an area of ‘moderate change’ confirms the previous finding that appropriate building height provisions are included within the Plan Change request22.

Please let us know if you require any further information or clarification on the above matters; otherwise we look forward to your confirmation that the Request will now be reported to the Regional Development and Operations Committee in terms of the usual ‘accept, adopt, reject’ considerations. In this regard, please advise as to the proposed agenda date you will be targeting. Yours sincerely Haines Planning Consultants Limited Alasdair Scott | Principal 1403 Further Info Response1

21 The only exception being the small area of the Plan Change site where the Buffer Strip controls do not apply (refer Annexure 1) where buildings heights of up to 12m will be permitted. 22 As expressed in Document 3 (AEE & Policy Analysis) of the Plan Change request.


cc Mr G Collie Chief Executive Officer

Atlas Concrete Ltd PO Box 33-244 Takapuna

Mr K Berman Barrister PO Box 105-358 Auckland

21 August 2012 Mr W Maclennan Manager North West Planning Auckland Council Private Bag 92300 Auckland 1142 Dear Warren Atlas Concrete Ltd Private Plan Change Request 7-11 Wairau Road & 8-12 Thornton Road, Takapuna Further to our letter of 16 August, please find attached comments from MSC on the stormwater matters raised within your further information request of 17 July. Responses have now been provided to all the matters raised in your further information request. Please let us know if you require any further information or clarification on stormwater matters; otherwise we look forward to your confirmation that the Request will now be reported to the Regional Development and Operations Committee in terms of the usual ‘accept, adopt, reject’ considerations. Yours sincerely Haines Planning Consultants Limited Alasdair Scott | Principal 1403 Further Info Response2





1 October 2012 Mr D Sanders Team Leader North West Planning Auckland Council Private Bag 92300 Auckland 1142 Dear David Atlas Concrete Ltd Private Plan Change Request (PPC39) 7-11 Wairau Road & 8-12 Thornton Road, Takapuna It was useful to meet recently with Robert Scott, Andrew McPhee and yourself to discuss the Council’s initial views on the above Private Plan Change request which applies an amended Business 9 zoning to our client’s land. Based on the discussions, our understanding is that the Council does not have an ‘in principle’ issue with the nature of development proposed by Atlas Concrete, but consider that a Residential 7 zoning may represent a more appropriate means of achieving the required development relative to the close proximity of existing residential properties and the Council’s general ‘vision’ for the area. We have also since received your letter of 18 September in which you outline your understanding of the content of our discussions. We write to provide our formal response to the matters discussed at the meeting and the associated comments in your letter. Inappropriate Nature of Residential 7 Zone

1. First and foremost, we re-iterate the comments in our letter of 16

August 2012 that the Court-adopted approach obliges the Council to consider whether the Plan Change is necessary for the applicant to be able to carry out the proposed activities given that the District Plan does not presently enable the applicant to do so. In short, an assessment of alternatives or need is not required.


2. Notwithstanding the above, having reviewed the Residential 7 zone provisions in more detail, we remain of the view that it does not represent a suitable zoning option for Atlas Concrete’s development requirements at the subject site. As is explicit within the overarching objectives and policies1, the Residential 7 zone is intended to provide for small office development of a residential scale. In our view, the existing Atlas Concrete office facility at No.11 Wairau Road (which forms part of the Plan Change site) represents the upper extremities of that which may reasonably be described as being of a ‘residential scale’.

3. In contrast, it is intended that the Plan Change request will enable the provision of a purpose designed office building (with ancillary trade-based retail), with associated parking at the subject site. The building will replace Atlas Concrete’s existing office facility at No. 11 Wairau Road and consolidate other existing office space across the wider adjoining concrete batching plant, as well as providing new space to function as headquarters. In this way, the building will accommodate key administrative functions related both to the adjoining batching plant and Atlas Concrete’s nine other branches located across the Auckland city-region.

4. In view of the above, the office building is expected to be beyond that which may reasonably be described as being of ‘residential scale’. This needs also to be set in the context of the scale of the surrounding existing environment which includes the Westlake Girls High School, the Smales Farm complex and the Metlifecare development.

5. That said, while generally being of non-residential proportions, it is considered that the detailed terms of the proposed Business 9 zone will place sufficient controls on the scale and design of the office proposal, to safeguard the amenity of the surrounding environment (including residential properties in the locality) .

6. Given that Atlas Concrete’s development requirements do not align with the overarching objectives and policies of the Residential 7 zone, the detailed rules of the zone would need to be altered to the extent of compromising its integrity. In turn, this would bring into question the overall integrity of the District Plan (and particularly the zoning map) as a transparent and honest document.

7. In contrast, the applicant’s development requirements assimilate with the objectives and policies of the Business 9 zone, which include providing opportunities for (and enabling) a wide range of employment-

1 Objective 16.4.7 and the associated Explanation and Reasons respectively refer to the Residential 7 zone providing for ‘…small scale business activities’…‘residential scale office development’ and ‘…the creation within residential areas of small areas of office use’.


generating business activities and ensuring that development does not adversely affect the amenity of adjacent residential areas2. While the detailed terms of the Plan Change limit the range of the activities (including heavy industrial processes) that would normally be provided for on Business 9 land, the zoning nonetheless sits well with Atlas Concrete’s development requirements, while including provisions which safeguard the amenity of residential properties in the locality.

8. Reflective of the proposal’s consistency with the overarching objectives and policies of the Business 9 zone, the proposed Plan Change request requires relatively few site specific amendments to the standard terms and provisions of the zone. We consider it efficient for a Private Plan Change request to seek to make as few amendments as possible to the terms of the Operative District Plan given that the document has already been the subject to comprehensive and robust RMA assessment processes.

9. Expressed in alternative terms, it typically follows that the fewer changes that are required to be made the Operative District Plan under a Plan Change request, the stronger the indication is that an appropriate zoning has been identified.

Strategic Policy Framework

10. Reference was also made at the meeting to the proposed Business 9 zoning potentially not aligning with the Council’s strategic plans for the locality of the Plan Change site. You provide further detail on this within your letter by stating that ‘…we disagree that there is support for the rezoning of residential land adjoining the Atlas Concrete site to Business 9 under the relevant statutory policy instruments’.

11. The Plan Change site is presently zoned a mix of Residential 4 and Residential 7. In our view, the most reliable way for the community (and indeed ourselves) to determine how the Council envisage that locality developing over time is to assess the relevant strategic planning documents.

12. As detailed within the Policy Analysis submitted as part of the Plan Change request3, the former North Shore City Council adopted a ‘City Plan’ in 2009, prior to the local government amalgamation process that formed Auckland Council4. Module 2 (City Direction) of that Plan sets out the strategic direction for the City over a 15 year period to 2024.

2 Objective and Policies 15.4.7 (General Business 9 and 10 Zones). 3 Refer Annexure 3 of Document 3 of the Plan Change Request, section 4.1. 4 Local government amalgamation occurred in Auckland in November 2010.


13. The Plan Change site is shown as falling within an area suitable for intensive business redevelopment within Module 2 of the City Plan. As summarised within the submitted Policy Analysis, the underpinning concept being that a central spine (or corridor) of employment areas link the main Centres of Takapuna and Albany to benefit from the accessibility provided by the various Busway stations and close proximity to the motorway network. The City Plan encapsulates this in stating that:

‘It is proposed that most growth and development will occur in and around these centres and corridors, including the accessible central corridor (or ‘spine) from Takapuna to Albany that forms the backbone of the city’s business and employment, and is generally the most accessible part of the city’5.

14. The concept of fostering business activity on key transport routes is also

consistent with the underpinning spatial thrust of the Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS) and the more recent Auckland Plan. Reflective of this (and as set out within our further information response dated 16 August 20126) the Auckland Plan identifies the Plan Change site as falling within an area of ‘moderate change’ where buildings ‘up to 3 or 4 storeys are envisaged and where it is estimated that up to a third of sites will be redeveloped over a 30 year period’ 7.

15. Based on the above, we are of the view that the emerging policy context confirms the Plan Change locality as an area in transition where high intensity business activity is deemed appropriate. We are not aware of a similarly detailed or locally based document having been released by Auckland Council to indicate that the underpinning thrust of the City Plan is longer relevant. On the contrary, its policy push is already gathering momentum on the ground, as shown by the number of non-residential activities occurring along the section of the Wairau Road corridor between Northcote Road and Forrest Hill Road, including the Smales Farm Office Technology Park and adjacent busway station.

16. While not necessarily of direct relevance to the Plan Change request, we consider it likely that the above considerations will result in the Council’s forthcoming Unitary Plan introducing a zoning pattern (and related provisions) that enable more business orientated activities along the section of the Wairau Road corridor between Northcote Road and Forrest Hill Road.

5 City Plan 2009-2024, Structure and City Vision, page 7. 6 Refer paragraphs 58 to 63 of further information response dated 16 August 2012. 7 Auckland Plan (May 2012) page 54.


17. In seeking a mechanism to enable the delivery of a primarily office based development, the Plan Change proposal is consistent with the above policy push and emerging urban character. It would consequently be somewhat misleading to view the Plan Change proposal as seeking the provision of additional industrial land. As previously advised, the provisions of the zoning have been specifically altered to safeguard against inappropriate industrial activities occurring on the subject site.

18. In short, it should be recognised that it is an amended Business 9 zoning that is being proposed by the requester, rather than a standard version of the zone.

19. Overall, the proposed Business 9 zoning (as amended) will enable Atlas Concrete to meet their development needs while safeguarding the amenity of the surrounding locality and being consistent with the policy framework set by the Auckland Plan, the ARPS, the City Plan and the Operative District Plan.

20. In the context of the Plan Change locality transitioning towards high intensity business activities (both in a physical and policy sense), it would seem inappropriate (and somewhat misleading) to seek to apply a zoning to the subject site with a residential nomenclature. The category within which each zone falls (whether it be business, residential, rural or recreation) provides an indication of the form of development anticipated. In our view, a Business zoning is more appropriate than a Residential zoning where the intended end land use (as determined by the site specific zoning provisions) is business based.

21. We understand from the discussions at our meeting that you view office

based business activity as not being inconsistent with the emerging policy thrust or character of the locality. That being the case, we are surprised that you do not yet appreciate the benefits of using a Business 9 zoning as a mechanism to deliver that activity, especially given that the Business 9 provisions need to be significantly less altered compared to those of the Residential 7 zone.

Retail Concerns

22. It was indicated at the meeting that the Council has some concerns with regard to significant retail proposals having previously established in the standard Business 9 zone. Notwithstanding the fact that it is an amended Business 9 zoning that it being proposed in this instance, it could be argued that significant retail development has arisen in the standard Business 9 zone due to rogue decisions at the resource consent stage, rather than necessarily being indicative of a weakness in the provisions of the District Plan. That said, to provide the Council with


comfort in this regard, the applicant is willing to make the following further (or similar) amendments to Rule 15.5.1.6 of the proposed Plan Change request: Amend Rule 15.5.1.6 – Non-Complying Activities, as follows: … n) Any activity on Lots 62–63 DP 8798, Lot 64 DP 9156, Lots 53-54

DP 8798 and Lot 2 DP 57210 (Takapuna) that involves a Part A, Part B or Part C process, as listed in Appendix 10C or involves retailing (other than ancillary trade based retailing).

23. If there are any other activities that the Council has concerns with, the

applicant would be willing to consider also adding them to the above list of non-complying activities at the Plan Change site, provided there is a valid resource management basis for doing so.

Council’s Understanding of the Proposal

24. Within your letter you set out a summary of your understanding of Atlas Concrete’s development aspirations, based on the discussions at our meeting. We make the following points of clarification.

25. Reference is made to Atlas seeking ‘…the erection of a purpose-built office building, potentially up to four storeys in height, to allow the relocation of existing office activities to the southern part of the site’.

26. We can confirm that Atlas Concrete’s intention is to provide for a purpose-built office building on the Plan Change site to replace existing office provision across the wider existing batching plant and also to function as the company’s headquarters. The height of the purpose-built office building is yet to be determined as this is a matter that will be influenced by various factors, including prevailing market conditions. Full details of the building height and other matters of detailed design will be provided as part of a later resource consent application which the Council will have the opportunity to assess. The requirement for this flexibility highlights, at least in part, why Atlas Concrete has opted for a Plan Change request rather than immediately progressing to the submission of a resource consent application on residentially zoned land.

27. You suggest that the reorganisation of activities will ‘…enable greater concentration of industrial activities at the north end of the site’. We are advised by Atlas that while the Plan Change proposal will enable a number of the office buildings and structures at the northern end of the existing adjoining batching plant to be demolished, the key industrial plant, such as the existing silos, will remain in their current position. In


this way, the Plan Change proposal will enable the continuation of the existing industrial activities at the north end of the site, rather than providing for a ‘greater concentration’ or intensification of such activity.

28. You correctly make reference to the intention for the Plan Change site to

accommodate ‘…a sales office for trade-related ancillary products’. We have referred to this as ‘ancillary retail’ within the Plan Change request documentation and can confirm that this activity will form part of the ground floor of a purpose-built office building, being used to display and sell trade-related products, such as, builders’ spades, trowels, buckets and spirit levels etc. This is consistent with the format adopted within Atlas Concrete’s existing office/ ancillary retail building at No. 11 Wairau Road and indeed at all of its concrete batching plants across the Auckland city-region. Of course, this level of enquiry relates to matters of detail which are typically addressed through the resource consent process and not as a re-zoning consideration.

29. Reference is also made within your letter to the Plan Change enabling the ‘general improvement of the site’s appearance to both Wairau Road and Thornton Road’. While the proposed Plan Change provisions relate only to the subject site, the rezoning of that land (to an amended version of Business 9) is expected to provide the opportunity to enhance the appearance of the adjoining existing batching plant when viewed from both Wairau Road and Thornton Road.

30. You are also correct in identifying the impending acquisition, by Auckland Transport, of a 5m strip along the frontage of the adjoining batching site (and the Plan Change site itself) for road widening purposes as a prime motivator for the request. Another influencing factor is ensuring that Atlas Concrete is able to operate efficiently and respond to anticipated growth requirements.

31. Overall, the Plan Change request will provide Atlas Concrete with the operational certainty that every business understandably requires.

Implications of Designation 183

32. Within your letter, reference is made to the Officers’ preference for any future administrative functions at the Plan Change site to be accommodated via the application of a Residential 7 zoning across the three lots fronting Wairau Road8. This preference is identified on the basis that ‘…office activity is enabled as a controlled activity in the (Business 7) zone up to a maximum height of 8m (two storeys)’.

8 Namely, Lot 62 DP8798, Lot 63 DP8798 and Lot 64 DP9156.


33. In response (and as previously identified within our further information response of 16 August 20129), under a Business 9 zoning, the majority of the Plan Change site is subject to Buffer Strip controls. As a consequence, almost all forms of development or activity at the site will require controlled activity resource consent10 and be assessed against wide ranging and comprehensive assessment criteria11. Meanwhile, a maximum permitted height limit of 9m applies within the Buffer Strip.

34. Taking account of the above, it is clear that, in requiring resource consent and restricting heights to between 8m and 9m, the provisions of the Residential 7 and Business 9 zone (incorporating the Buffer Strip controls) are similar on the matter of proposed new buildings.

35. Notwithstanding the above, the Council will be aware that a Notice of Requirement (NOR) to widen the Wairau /Taharoto Corridor (including the section outside the Plan Change site) was approved by the former North Shore City Council on 3 March 2006. The approved NOR relates to road widening designation 183, as shown on Map 25 of the Operative District Plan (refer Annexure 1).

36. The approved designation includes providing a controlled intersection at the existing entrance to Westlake Girls High School, directly opposite the Plan Change site (refer Annexure 2).

37. Following a successful appeal by Atlas Concrete, an Environment Court Consent Order was subsequently issued on 2 October 2006, requiring that the road widening designation be amended to also provide for a signalised access to the Plan Change site12 (refer Annexure 3). In effect, the signalised intersection mirrors that designated for the School.

38. The additional signalised access was consented to by the Environment Court on the basis of acceptance that the proposed road widening works will necessitate Atlas Concrete’s expansion southwards onto its other land holdings (i.e. onto the Plan Change site). In addition, all of the parties to the NOR proceedings were in agreement that future traffic safety and flow considerations make access to the Atlas Concrete site through a controlled intersection necessary and/or desirable.

39. The location of the proposed signalised access point (in combination with

the associated tracking curves for heavy goods vehicles utilising the access) remove the opportunity for Lots 62 and 63 DP8798 to be used to accommodate Atlas Concrete’s future administrative functions.

9 Refer paragraphs 5 to 14 of further information response dated 16 August 2012. 10 Under Rule 15.5.1.3 of the District Plan. 11 Under Clauses 15.7.1.1 and 15.7.1.6 of the District Plan. 12 At Lots 62 and 63 DP8798.


40. We expect that the Council will be keen to ensure the integration of land

and transport planning by having regard to the terms of Designation 183 when assessing the Plan Change proposal.

41. In turn, the designation, in its finalised form, lends further support to the proposition that a residential zoning is no longer suited to the Plan Change site.

Taking account of all the foregoing, we remain of the view that an amended Business 9 zoning is suitable for the Plan Change site. We trust this further information will be useful in terms of informing Blakey Scott’s assessment and subsequent reporting on the Plan Change request. While we were not party to their initial briefing, we anticipate that they will be in a position to undertake their reporting in an independent and objective manner. Prior to matters progressing to the Clause 25 reporting stage, we would be pleased to hear your response to the above suggested amendments to the Plan Change request, as well as those identified within our letter of 16 August 2012. This will provide us with the opportunity to update the Plan Change request (as necessary) prior to it being publicly notified. Yours sincerely Haines Planning Consultants Limited Alasdair Scott | Principal 1403 Further Info Response3




Mr K Berman Barrister PO Box 105-358 Auckland Mr R Scott Planning Consultant Blakey Scott Planning Limited PO Box 37-359 Parnell Auckland 1151 Mr A McPhee Planner North West Planning (Regional & Local Planning) Auckland Council Private Bag 92300 Auckland 1142

19 October 2012 Mr R Scott Blakey Scott Planning Ltd PO Box 37-359 Parnell Auckland 1151 Dear Robert Atlas Concrete Ltd Private Plan Change Request (PPC39) 7-11 Wairau Road & 8-12 Thornton Road, Takapuna As requested, please find attached a copy of the Environment Consent Order (2 October 2006) relating to road widening Designation 183 (refer Annexure 1). In our letter of 1 October 2012, we made reference to road widening Designation 183 which has a relatively long and complex history in terms of its implications for Atlas Concrete Ltd’s (ACL) operations on Wairau Road. To assist with your processing of Private Plan Change Request 39 (PPC39), we set out below a summary of the relevant background to the Designation and Consent Order.

1. The Wairau / Taharoto Road corridor has long been identified by the regulatory authorities as in need of improvement to enhance its functionality as a safe and efficient route. The former North Shore City Council (NSCC) referred to the corridor as: ‘…among the busiest roads and one of the key strategic routes in North Shore City. The route not only provides for through traffic to the motorway system and Takapuna Town Centre, but also services some of the city’s key traffic generators such as North Shore Hospital, Smales Farm Business Park, Atlas Concrete and various prominent schools in the immediate vicinity. A combination of factors, notably the general growth of North Shore City and key traffic generators such as the schools and business


development in the area have cumulatively contributed towards a decline in the functionality of the corridor with specific reference to efficiency and safety aspects’1 (emphasis added).

2. In recognition of the above issues, NSCC commenced planning for significant improvements to the corridor in the late 1990’s/ early 2000’s. Around that time, NSCC contacted ACL to advise of their desire for improvements and to emphasise that a key focus would be ensuring that safe and convenient access is maintained to all major land uses on the corridor. This culminated in NSCC advising ACL (in a letter dated 4 December 2002 – refer Annexure 2) that: ‘…a potential new access point to your operation has been identified opposite the proposed signalised access to Westlake Girls High School…In order for the new access point to be established as shown, alterations would be required to the layout of your activities, and significantly the access would be located on land which is currently zoned Residential…The Council has requested that Burton Consultants Ltd examine the zoning of land within the Thornton Road/Shakespeare Road/ Wairau Road block to ensure that the zoning and associated rules will facilitate the proposed access, as well as achieving the City’s wider objectives for this particular area. Before this exercise proceeds in any detail an agreement is required with Atlas on a number of aspects, namely that:

• If access to the Atlas site were provided…it would meet the Company’s needs…

• The Company would work progressively to reorganise its operation to accommodate the access’… (emphasis added).

3. At the time of raising the above, NSCC was aware that ACL owned

some of the residential lots required to give effect to the access and that they may be able to secure the remaining necessary lots (as subsequently occurred)2.

4. NSCC released a consultation leaflet on the proposed ‘Wairau-Taharoto Corridor Upgrade’ in November 2004.

5. Consistent with NSCC’s previous advice, the leaflet showed Wairau Road being upgraded to provide a signalised vehicle access to the Westlake Girls High School (WGHS), mirrored by a signalised

1 Officer Report (28 November 2005) for Designation 108. 2 To confirm, ACL now own all of the residential lots required to give effect to the signalised intersection.


intersection to the ACL land. Extracts from the leaflet are attached at Annexure 3.

6. The leaflet confirmed that the proposed signalised accesses would enable ‘…right turn lanes to provide safer access to Westlake Girls’ High School and Atlas Cement’.

7. Around that time, ACL entered into discussions with NSCC as to the compensation it could expect from the land loss that would result from the road improvements. As part of that process, it appears that while NSCC acknowledged that a signalised intersection represented the safest long term option, the Officers were concerned that including it within the road widening Designation may impact upon the compensation ultimately payable to ACL. As a consequence, the provision of a signalised intersection for an extended ACL site was omitted from the formal Notice of Requirement (NOR), as publicly notified on 30 August 2005.

8. At the resultant Hearing for the NOR, ACL raised various concerns, including the fact that, by resiling from its previous commitment for a signalised intersection to the ACL site, the Council was failing to adopt the safest and most efficient corridor upgrade option3.

9. The subsequent Decisions report for the NOR stated that: ‘The Commissioners recognise the concerns Atlas has raised and the apparently common position of Atlas and the Council as to the desirability of a 4-leg intersection at the Westlake Girls High School access, so as to provide also for truck access to and from the Atlas land’ (emphasis added).

10. Notwithstanding the above, the Commissioners determined that they did not have the legal jurisdiction to reinstate the signalised intersection on the basis that: ‘…we are told that a rezoning of the affected land, or an appropriate resource consent, is a necessary pre-requisite to the effective implementation of such a modification’.4

11. ACL subsequently filed an Environment Court appeal on 28 March 2006, which included the following grounds: a) ‘All parties are in agreement that in the foreseeable future traffic

safety and flow considerations will make access to the Atlas

3 Refer paragraph 6.20 of the NSCC Decision (March 2006) on Notice of Requirement. 4 Refer paragraph 6.24 of the NSCC Decision (March 2006) on the Notice of Requirement.


Concrete site through the controlled intersection necessary and/or desirable.

b) The Atlas Concrete site is being adversely affected by the road widening to a degree that the reconfiguration of it becomes necessary.

c) Such modification of the Notice of Requirement will facilitate that

reconfiguration with both private benefit and public benefit. d) The Council as requiring Authority is taking into account irrelevant

considerations in deciding whether or not to provide for access through the controlled intersection in that it is taking into account compensation issues.

e) Sound medium to long-term planning dictates that intersection design

and formation should be undertaken at an early stage…’

12. Shortly following lodgement of the appeal, NSCC personnel contacted ACL to advise that they wished to re-commit to providing the signalised intersection to the ACL site. A Memorandum of Counsel was consequently agreed upon by ACL and NSCC.

13. On the basis of the notice of appeal and the Memorandum, the Environment Court issued a Consent Order on 2 October 2006 modifying the designation to provide for a signalised intersection to the ACL land (refer Annexure 1).

14. Implementation of the proposed road widening, and associated

provision of the 4-leg signalised intersection at the location of the ACL and WLGHS sites has been included as Stage 3 to the Corridor upgrade work (refer plan at Annexure 4).

15. As part of later associated correspondence, NSCC, in its role as the Requiring Authority (at that time), confirmed that it would be responsible for constructing the fully signalised intersection to exit the ACL property between 7 and 9 Wairau Road (to mirror the opposite WLGHS intersection)5. That responsibility has now passed to Auckland Transport in their role as Requiring Authority.

Compensation Issues

16. Following the grant of the Consent Order, the legal and land valuation

representatives from ACL and NSCC were involved in protracted correspondence over the compensation payable to ACL relative to land

5 Confirmed in a NSCC letter to ACL dated 12 September 2006.


lost for road widening purposes. This included NSCC attempting to broker a ‘commercial arrangement’ with ACL to enable the Council to acquire the land without invoking the Public Works Act. Matters were further complicated by discussions over how the compensation process should take account of the zone change needed to give meaningful effect to the proposed signalised intersection for the ACL site.

17. Discussions continued intermittently over a number of years and included a last ditch attempt by NSCC to secure a commercial agreement in the weeks leading up to its demise under the Auckland Council amalgamation process of November 2010.

Minor Amendments to Designation 183

18. In October 2010, NSCC6 notified a NOR to alter some of the conditions attached to Designation 183.7 The alterations were relatively minor (involving such matters as allowing for night time construction work) and did not change the extent or key aspects of the Designation.

19. ACL submitted on the notified amendments and secured the relief they sought with regard to safeguarding the function of their existing plant access during the road widening construction phases.

Interim Safety Improvements

20. In November 2011, Auckland Transport, somewhat unexpectedly, requested a meeting with ACL to discuss ‘interim design options’ proposed for Wairau Road outside the batching plant. Auckland Transport followed up that meeting in December 2010 by issuing ACL with ‘public consultation information’ advising that: ‘An interim option is being developed for the Wairau Road southbound carriageway from the Forrest Hill Road intersection to the Shakespeare Road intersection. It is intended that this interim option can suffice for a number of years, if required, until stage 3 of the Taharoto/ Wairau Road corridor upgrade project can be implemented. Stage 3 will provide enhanced measures’ (emphasis added).

21. Rather than relating to any road widening works, the interim options

essentially involved reorganising the road layout along the portion of Wairau Road outside the existing ACL batching plant. A full copy of the information is attached at Annexure 5.

6 The October 2010 NOR later transferred from NSCC to Auckland Transport as the Requiring Authority. 7 NSCC sought alterations to Conditions 10, 12 and 31 of Designation 183.


22. ACL provided feedback, identifying the ‘Share with Care’ option as the preferable interim measure, but requiring a range of alterations to its detailed form. No response has been received to those submissions and the works have not been implemented.

23. Notwithstanding the apparent ‘interim’ nature of the suggested improvements, the consultation process led ACL to question Auckland Transport’s commitment to implementing Stage 3 of the corridor upgrade. This was compounded by the fact that there has been no attempt by Auckland Transport to enter into discussions with ACL over the taking of their land.

Updated Programme

24. However, towards the end of September 2012, Auckland Transport

contacted ACL on another matter and through that process has indicated that they intend to commence construction on Stage 3 of the corridor upgrade works late in 2013.

25. While this proposed programme provides for the ‘real world’ delivery of the 4-leg intersection, that is a separate matter from the fact that, in planning terms, the designation needs to be treated as a ‘given’ in any planning evaluation of the proposed zone.

Commentary

26. You will appreciate from the above summary that Designation 183, in so far as it impacts upon ACL’s landholdings, has a relatively long and complex history. There has also been some uncertainty (on ACL’s part at least) as to whether Stage 3 of the corridor works will actually be implemented - a matter not assisted by the discussions that occurred in relation to the ‘interim options’ identified towards the end of 2011.

27. As you know, PPC39 seeks to apply an amended Business 9 zoning to the residential land adjoining ACL’s existing ready-mix batching plant. Reference was included within the Plan Change documents to Designation 183, albeit not in the detail provided above.

28. In our view, the access arrangements for the Plan Change involve matters of detail that can be addressed at the resource consent stage, relative to the controls of the District Plan.

29. In this way, flexibility is provided to enable development at the Plan Change site to be accessed from the existing main vehicle entrance into


the wider ACL plant, the proposed signalised intersection opposite the entrance to WLGHS, or in some other appropriate manner.8

30. The access option that is ultimately pursued will obviously impact upon the layout of the Plan Change site – a matter which will be further influenced by the controls of the District Plan, as highlighted within our further information response of 16 August 2012.

31. It may be that ACL’s recent attempted engagement with Auckland Transport provides greater certainty as to which access arrangement is progressed at the resource consent stage. However, that is a separate matter to the processing of the zoning request.

32. Overall, it is clear that the reason for Designation 183 being amended to

include a signalised intersection between No.7 and 9 Wairau Road was to specifically enable ACL traffic (including heavy goods vehicles) to enter and leave the site in a safer manner, assisting the overall efficiency of the Wairau Road corridor. All parties appear to be in agreement that this represents the safest long term access option for a site devoted to existing business activities.

33. In that regard, the Designation provides support for the expansion of the existing ACL site for business purposes. It would, after all, be unusual for a signalised intersection to be provided to serve five residential lots or a continued residential use. Rather, it is, in our view, indicative of a traffic engineering response aimed at catering for business traffic.

34. Notwithstanding the apparent past acceptance for the expansion of the ACL site (for business purposes), PPC36 has been crafted in such a way as to ensure that the business activities that ultimately occur on the subject site are compatible with the surrounding environment. This is achieved by site specific provisions, in combination with reliance on the existing controls of the Business 9 zone.

We trust the above information provides you with a good understanding of the background to Designation 183 and its implications for PPC36. We would be grateful if you would now expedite your Clause 25 reporting to the Regional Development and Operations Committee. We understand that the agenda closing date for the 15 November meeting is 26 October 2012 (to allow for the associated internal approval process). Please can you confirm that this timetable will apply.

8 Notwithstanding that ACL intend to update the Plan Change request to limit the opportunity for heavy goods access (other than emergency vehicles) from Thornton Road.


As previously advised by email (15 October 2012), we intend updating the Plan Change documents to include more detailed reference to Designation 183. This will happen after the PPC36 has been accepted for notification. Yours sincerely Haines Planning Consultants Limited Alasdair Scott | Principal 1403 Further Info Response4





Mr D Sanders Team Leader North West Planning Auckland Council

Private Bag 92300 Auckland 1142 Mr A McPhee Planner North West Planning (Regional & Local Planning) Auckland Council Private Bag 92300 Auckland 1142

ATLAS CONCRETE LIMITED

Proposed Vehicle Crossing Relocation at Atlas’ Wairau Road Site Application for Resource Consent and AEE

November 2014

REVISION HISTORY

Revision No Prepared By Description Date

A Daniel Shao AEE Report (DRAFT) 6 September 2014

B Daniel Shao AEE Report (FINAL) 11 November 2014

DOCUMENT ACCEPTANCE

Action Name Signed Date

Prepared by Daniel Shao

6 September 2014

Reviewed by Owen Taylor

11 November 2014

Approved by Owen Taylor

11 November 2014

On behalf of Haines Planning Consultants Ltd

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No

1.0 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................1 1.1 The Application ..................................................................................1 1.2 Description of the Proposal ...............................................................1 1.3 The Property Details ..........................................................................2 2.0 THE SITE AND ITS CONTEXT .........................................................3 3.0 BACKGROUND/PROJECT RATIONALE .........................................5 4.0 REASON FOR THE APPLICATION ..................................................6

5.0 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT .................7 5.1 Scope of the Assessment .................................................................7 5.2 Assessment of Effects ......................................................................7 6.0 CONSIDERATIONS UNDER SECTION 104 OF THE RMA ............ 10 7.0 NOTIFICATION CONSIDERATIONS UNDER THE RMA ............... 11 7.1 Sections 95A and 95D ..................................................................... 11 7.2 Sections 95B and 95E

8.0 CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 12

TABLE OF CONTENTS continued

ANNEXURES

Annexure 1: Certificates of Title Annexure 2: Concept Drawing Reference: 12436A2B Annexure 3: Transportation Assessment Report Annexure 4: District Plan Extracts - Planning Maps - Vehicle Crossing Provisions (Rule 12.4.2.8 and Assessment Criteria 12.5.1)

Copyright and intellectual property rights for this document remain the property of Haines Planning Consultants Limited

HAINES PLANNING Date: 11 November 2014 Reference: 1912 AEE RPT 1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE APPLICATION

1.1.1 The applicant, Atlas Concrete Limited (Atlas), operates a concrete

batching facility at 11-15 Wairau Road, Milford. The proposal is to relocate the existing vehicle access to the signalised intersection approximately 30m south-east of the existing crossing, as shown on the aerial photo below.

Figure 1: Aerial photo showing the location of the existing crossing and the proposed access to the signalised intersection

1.1.2 Resource consent is sought for a Limited Discretionary activity as the proposed vehicle crossing exceeds the maximum width permitted by the Auckland Council District Plan – Operative North Shore Section (District Plan).

1.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL

1.2.1 The proposed vehicle access will be sited adjacent to 7 and 9 Wairau Road, and will provide for one 7m-wide entrance lane and two 4m-wide exit lanes. The new access point to Wairau Road will be integrated with the existing Wairau Road/Westlake Girls’ High School (WGHS) signalised intersection.

1.2.2 The design takes into account a 5m road widening designation

required by Auckland Transport, and the additional laneway that


will be added to the carriageway as a part of the Wairau Road upgrade (refer to Section 3: Background and Project Rationale) . A concept drawing by TDG (Reference 12436A2B) is attached in Annexure 2. Discussions with Auckland Transport will continue and the design and construction details will be refined in association with the Wairau Road upgrade.

1.2.3 The existing vehicle crossing will be abandoned, reinstated with

footpath, kerb and channel, and landscaped to the satisfaction of Auckland Transport.

1.2.4 For clarity, the proposal refers to the relocation of the vehicle

access point and its integration with the signalised intersection. The application for resource consent relates to a particular non-compliance, being the exceedance in the width of the vehicle crossing.

1.3 THE PROPERTY DETAILS

Site Address: 7 and 9 Wairau Road, Takapuna

Legal Description: Lots 62 and 63 DP 8798 Site Area: 2024m2 District Plan: Auckland Council District Plan – Operative North

Shore Section (2002) Zonings: Residential 4A Designations/ Specific Limitations: Designation 183 – Wairau Road/Taharoto Road

Transport Corridor widening and associated works (Requiring Authority: Auckland Transport)

Road Hierarchy: Wairau Road: Primary Regional Arterial


2.0 THE SITE AND ITS CONTEXT

2.1 Atlas has substantial landholdings (“the site”) south-east of the intersection of Wairau Road/Forest Hill Road, opposite West Lake Girls High School. The site consists of a number of contiguous allotments, and makes up just over 60% of the 2.35ha (approx.) urban block. The site is demarcated with a blue line in the aerial photo below.

Figure 2: Blue line denoting the extent of the landholdings. Source: Auckland Council GIS

2.2 The urban block is long (approx. 320m) and narrow (averages between 70-80m), and is surrounded by Wairau Road to the west, Shakespeare Road to the south, the residential street of Thornton Road to the east, and the Wairau Creek and its riparian margins to the north. The Atlas’ site makes up the northern part of the urban block with the balance being residential properties, and a motel and auto repair shop at the Shakespeare Road end.

2.3 The northern part of the site has long been established as a

concrete batching facility with the associated buildings and infrastructure. Immediately to the south of the entranceway is the main office building, the “Atlas House”. The existing buildings, infrastructure and activities are highly visible to the Wairau Road traffic.

2.4 The balance of the site consists of 8, 10 and 12 Thornton Road,

which are currently occupied by residential dwellings; and 7 and 9 Wairau Road which are vacant and are being used by Atlas for the parking of motor vehicles, mostly cars.


2.5 The Wairau Road carriageway in front of the site is approximately 16.5m wide, and has two trafficable lanes in each direction. Segments of the flush median also serve as a bus lane. A more detail description of the wider road network can be found in Section 3 of the Transportation Assessment Report by TDG and included under Annexure 3.

2.6 The footpaths on either side of Wairau Road carry a high volume

of pedestrians, due to the nearly schools. The existing vehicle crossing takes up approximately 36m of the footpath.

Figure 3: Location of the existing vehicle crossing. Source: Google Streetview

2.7 By contrast the main vehicle access to WGHS, being the other major vehicle access point along this segment of Wairau Road, is managed through a controlled intersection with a narrower carriageway width, engineered corner splays and pedestrian crossing lights.

Figure 4: Location of the existing signalised intersection. Source Google Streetview

2.8 The location of the proposed vehicle crossing is directly opposite the controlled intersection to WGHS, outside of 7 and 9 Wairau Road. Presently these allotments do not have formed vehicle crossings.


3.0 BACKGROUND/PROJECT RATIONALE

3.1 Auckland Transport and its predecessors have been progressing with the Wairau Road–Taharoto Road Corridor Upgrade project. Stage 3 of the project will provide an additional vehicle lane along Wairau Road between Forrest Hill Road and Shakespeare Road. This will be made possible through utilising the 5m wide road widening designation along the Wairau Road frontage.

3.2 The road widening works will compress the already narrow land

area of Atlas’ site. The relative narrowness of the site and the larger tracking curves required for concrete trucks, requires a reconfiguration of the site to ensure that the operating requirements of Atlas can continue to be met. The relocation of the vehicle access will enable the desired outcome.

3.3 In addition to facilitating the rationalisation of the site, the relocated vehicle crossing will improve the existing vehicle and pedestrian access arrangements. The footpath in front of Atlas’ existing entrance experiences high pedestrian volume, primarily being students from the surrounding schools. Pedestrians currently have to navigate through the unusually wide concrete vehicle crossing. This is deemed undesirable due to the safety risk caused by the existing access arrangements.

3.4 The impending road widening works affords Atlas the opportunity

to relocate the vehicle crossing to the signalised intersection at the entrance to WGHS. It is considered that this proposal will substantially improve pedestrian safety, as well as the safety and efficiency of vehicles entering and existing the site.

3.5 For the sake of completeness, it is noted that Atlas is currently

pursuing the rezoning of the residential-zoned land to Business 9 through a Private Plan Change (PC39). That request has been on hold since March 2013, as Atlas had been reconsidering some of its future operational requirements, as well as having been involved in discussions with Auckland Transport over various roading issues.


4.0 REASON FOR THE APPLICATION

4.1 Pursuant to s9(3)(a) of the Resource Management Act 1991 (Act or RMA), no person may use land in a manner that contravenes a district rule unless the use is expressly allowed by a resource consent.

4.2 The Transportation Chapter of the District Plan contains standards relating to the number and widths of vehicle crossings. The proposal contravenes a standard (rule) relating to the width of the vehicle crossing.

4.3 Rule 12.4.2.8.a, which states that the permitted width of each

vehicle crossing at the boundary of a non-business zoned site is between 2.75m and 5.5m. An alternative arrangement to this requirement may be permitted by means of a resource consent for a Limited Discretionary activity.

4.4 The existing vehicle crossing will be removed and the land

reinstated at the expense of the applicant, as required by Rule 12.4.2.8.c.

4.5 The relevant District Plan extracts are attached in Annexure 4.

4.6 It is noted that the relocation of the vehicle crossing will result in vehicles related to the Atlas batching plant traversing residentially zoned land. For clarity, it is considered that this does not render the underlying sites to a business use. These sites will continue to be subject to the Residential Zone controls.

4.7 Rule 16.6.1.3 of the Residential section of the District Plan states

that where an access serves a non-residential activity, the carriageway shall be formed, drained and paved to the satisfaction of the Council. These relevant engineering standards will be met through Council’s general engineering works approvals.


5.0 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

5.1 SCOPE OF THE ASSESSMENT

5.1.1 As mentioned above, 7 and 9 Wairau Road do not have formed vehicle crossings. Both properties are “entitled” to a vehicle crossing that complies with the requirements of the District Plan. Accordingly the notion of having a vehicle crossing at the proposed location is not resisted by the Plan, irrespective of whether the existing crossing is to be disestablished.

5.1.2 Notwithstanding the above, the proposal is to relocate the existing vehicle crossing, and will not result in an increase in the number of access points along Wairau Road. Rather, it potentially reduces the number of vehicle crossings along the road frontage of the Atlas land holdings.

5.1.3 Resource consent is sought to exceed the permitted width for a

vehicle crossing. The AEE therefore focuses on the effects associated with this exceedance.

5.1.4 As a Limited Discretionary activity, the assessment is restricted to

those matters over which the Plan has reserved its control. Given the specificity of those controls, it is considered that that the application needs to be assessed against those assessment criteria alone.

5.2 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS

5.2.1 The Plan provides the following explanation for adopting the vehicle crossing control: -

“The purpose of vehicle crossing rules is to protect the safety of road users and pedestrians and to promote the efficient functioning of the road network. The reason for the inclusion of rules on vehicle crossings is that without them there is a high probability that inadequate and unsafe crossing provision will be made.”


5.2.2 This explanation provides the basis for assessing the effects of the proposed departure from the vehicle crossing standards (See 12.5.1 General Assessment Criteria for Control Flexibility).

5.2.3 In this instance, the vehicle access and crossing occurs at a

signalised intersection, which provides a different context to the assessment of effects of such crossing. The actual parameters of the vehicle crossing are primarily determined by the functional and safety requirements of the vehicle crossing. Vehicle and pedestrian crossing details will therefore be finalised with Auckland Transport, under whose jurisdiction the signalised intersection falls. However, for completeness, the proposal has been assessed in terms of the specific assessment criteria for alternative vehicle crossing arrangements under Section 12.5.1.2 of the District Plan, as set out in the table below:

The need for an increase in the width of any crossing or the number of crossings to be provided, based on the configuration of the site, and the access requirements of the activity concerned

The proposed 15m wide crossing consists of one 7m wide entrance lane and two 4m wide exit lanes. To ensure that vehicles access the site do not impede the Wairau Road traffic, there is a functional need for the proposed width give the large tracking curves of concrete trucks.

The safe ingress and egress of vehicles to the site and the safe movement of vehicles on the adjoining road network

The TDG Transportation Assessment Report concludes that the proposal will have positive effects on vehicles entering and exiting the site without unduly negatively affecting the performance of the road network.

The cumulative effect of additional vehicle crossing(s) on traffic, cyclist and pedestrian safety

The proposal will not result in a net increase in the number of vehicle crossings along this frontage. The consequential effect is that the potential number of vehicle crossings along Atlas’ frontage may be reduced.

The extent to which other users of the road reserve, including pedestrians, will be adversely affected

Improving pedestrian safety was one of the key motives behind the proposal. The proposal is a clear improvement of the existing situation. This view is supported by the TDG report.

The practicalities of sharing the use of an existing vehicle crossing(s)

Not applicable.

The number of on-street parking spaces that are lost as a result of the additional vehicle

Not applicable as no parking is permitted along this section of Wairau Road.


crossing.

The loss of grass berm space and opportunity for street trees and the effects on stormwater management and the amenity of the street

There are no street trees along the Atlas’ side of the road reserve between Forrest Hill Road and Shakespeare Road. There are narrow strips of grass berm in front of 7 and 9 Wairau Road. It is considered that the loss of grass berm space can be adequately offset through the reinstatement of the existing vehicle crossing. It is considered that the effects of the proposed crossing will not be adverse in terms of streetscape amenity and the management of stormwater, taking into account that two crossings may be constructed as of right. Landscaping and stormwater management are able to be better planned and engineered through the collaborative process between the applicant and Auckland Transport, as such, the overall outcome is likely to be positive.

5.2.4 The Transportation Assessment Report by TDG has assessed the

impacts of the entire proposal, being relocation of the vehicle crossing, in terms of traffic safety and efficiency of the Atlas site, the existing signalised intersection as well as the local Wairau Road environment. The report concludes that the integration the vehicle crossing with the existing signalised intersection will have positive effects on the pedestrian environment and accessibility to the site without unduly negatively affecting the performance of the road network, inclusive of the signalised intersection.


6.0 CONSIDERATIONS UNDER SECTION 104 OF THE RMA

6.1 Section 104(1) sets out the matters the consent authority must, subject to Part 2, have regard to when considering an application for a resource consent.

6.2 For the purpose of s104(1)(a), it is reiterated that the construction of a vehicle crossing at the proposed location is permitted. The relevant consideration relates to the exceedance in the width of the proposed vehicle crossing only. The Assessment of Effects of the Environment concludes that this exceedance in itself will not give rise to any unacceptable effects. The TDG Transportation Assessment Report provides further assurance on the overall proposal in terms of vehicular and pedestrian safety and efficiency. Overall, taking into account the removal of the existing vehicle crossing, the net effects are considered to be overwhelmingly positive.

6.3 As a Limited Discretionary activity it is considered that the

relevant provisions, including the General Assessment Criteria for Control Flexibility (12.5.1.1) and Additional Assessment Criteria for Widths of Crossings (12.5.1.2.e), are being met by the proposal.

6.4 While the Limited Discretionary activity status of the application

makes it unnecessary to undertake the assessment higher level District Plan objectives and policies, it is considered prudent to refer to the Transportation Objectives and Policy under Section 12.3.1 (Transport System Effectiveness and Safety) of the District Plan. Policy 2, in particular directs Council “to encourage the most efficient and safe use of transportation infrastructure within the city”. Within this context it is considered that the consequential outcome of enabling the proposal would serve this policy in a positive manner. “Effectiveness and Safety” is paramount to any transportation situation.

6.5 Similarly, Section 104(1) of the RMA is subject to Part 2 of the

Act. In particular, the purpose of the Act, under Section 5, is being served as the consequential outcome of enabling the proposal will result in the wellbeing of the society in terms of vehicular and pedestrian safety while adverse effects on this local environment will be avoided, remedied and mitigated.

6.6 It is considered that there are no other matters that are relevant and reasonably necessary in determining the application.


7.0 NOTIFICATION CONSIDERATIONS UNDER THE RMA

7.1 SECTIONS 95A AND 95D

7.1.1 For the reasons stated in the AEE and in terms of the qualifications set out in s95D, it is considered that the adverse effects of the proposal on the environment will not be more than minor (s95(2)(a)).

7.1.2 The applicant is not requesting that the application be publicly notified (s95(2)(b)).

7.1.3 No rule or national environmental standard explicitly requires or

precludes public notification of the application (s95(2)(c) and (3)).

7.1.4 It is considered that there are no special circumstance that would necessitate the public notification of the application in terms of s95A(4).

7.2 SECTIONS 95B and 95E

7.2.1 While acknowledging that only adverse effects are relevant in the

determination of affected persons, it is noted that the effects of the proposal on all pedestrians that use this section of Wairau Road, particularly the students of WGHS and WBHs will be overwhelmingly positive.

7.2.2 Following the land acquisition, the proposed vehicle crossing will be situated within the road reserve, which falls within the jurisdiction of Auckland Transport, who will manage the construction of the vehicle crossings through the Corridor Access Request process. Discussions with Auckland Transport will continue regarding the design of the vehicle crossing and its integration of the signalled intersection.


8.0 CONCLUSION

8.1 The proposal involves relocating the vehicle crossing to Atlas Concrete’s batching facility and to integrate the entranceway with an existing signalised intersection, approximately 30m south-east of the existing vehicle crossing.

8.2 The relevant resource management consideration relates to the exceedance in the width of the proposed vehicle crossing. As concluded in the AEE, when taking into account the reinstatement of the existing vehicle crossing, the overall effects of the proposal are considered to be overwhelmingly positive. The assessment also concludes that the application sits favourably against the relevant planning provisions, being the specific assessment criteria set out in the District Plan. Accordingly, it is considered that this application can be granted pursuant to s104C of the RMA.

SIGNED:

DATE: 11 November 2014

FOR AND BEHALF OF: Atlas Concrete Limited

ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: Haines Planning Consultants Ltd PO Box 90842 Victoria Street West AUCKLAND 1142 Attention: Daniel Shao

Phone: (09) 360 1182 Fax: (09) 360 0182 Email: [email protected]

1912 AEE RPT DS

ANNEXURE 1 Certificates of Title

ProprietorsAtlas Concrete Limited

Estate Fee Simple

Area 1012 square metres more or less

Legal Description Lot 62 Deposited Plan 8798

Interests

Fencing Agreement in Transfer 211952 - 7.5.1927

Identifier

Search Copy

Land Registration DistrictDate Issued 07 May 1927

North Auckland

COMPUTER FREEHOLD REGISTERUNDER LAND TRANSFER ACT 1952

NA456/221

Prior ReferencesNA231/59

Transaction Id

Client Reference haines planning consultants ltd/1912

Search Copy Dated 5/09/14 1:26 pm, Page 1 of 2

Register Only

Identifier NA456/221

Transaction Id



Register Only

ProprietorsAtlas Concrete Limited

Estate Fee Simple

Area 1012 square metres more or less

Legal Description Lot 63 Deposited Plan 8798

Interests

Identifier

Search Copy

Land Registration DistrictDate Issued 25 May 1929

North Auckland

COMPUTER FREEHOLD REGISTERUNDER LAND TRANSFER ACT 1952

NA492/76

Prior ReferencesNA462/287

Transaction Id



Register Only

Identifier NA492/76

Transaction Id



Register Only

ANNEXURE 2 Concept Drawing Reference: 12436A2B

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PROPOSED ACCESS ARRANGEMENT

ATLAS CONCRETE, WAIRAU ROAD

ANNEXURE 3 Transportation Assessment Report

Atlas Concrete

Proposed Vehicle Crossing Relocation

Transportation Assessment Report

TDG Ref: 12436-0 141110 ita final.docx

December 2013

12436-0 141110 ITA Final.docx

Atlas Concrete

Proposed Vehicle Crossing Relocation


Quality Assurance Statement

Reviewed and Approved for Issue by:

Leo Hills

Senior Associate

Status:

Date: Final report

Date: 17 December 2013

Atlas Concrete, Proposed Vehicle Crossing Relocation


17 December 2013 12436-0 141110 ITA Final.docx

Table of Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1

2. Site Description ............................................................................................................................. 2 2.1 Site Location ....................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Future Network Improvements .......................................................................................... 2

3. Existing Transportation Environment ........................................................................................... 5 3.1 Site Access .......................................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Road Network ..................................................................................................................... 5

4. Traffic Flows .................................................................................................................................. 9 4.1 Road Safety ....................................................................................................................... 11

5. Proposed Development .............................................................................................................. 14 5.1 Intersection Upgrade ........................................................................................................ 14 5.2 Trip Generation ................................................................................................................. 14

6. Outcomes .................................................................................................................................... 17 6.1 Operational Efficiency....................................................................................................... 17 6.2 Safety ................................................................................................................................ 26

7. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 27


Transportation Assessment Report Page 1


1. Introduction TDG has been commissioned by Atlas Concrete to provide a Transportation Assessment (TA) of their proposal to relocate the existing vehicle crossing at 11 Wairau Road to the signalised intersection of Wairau Road and Westlake Girls High School (WGHS). In doing this, commercial vehicles will then be required to drive over properties with residential zonings to access the Atlas Concrete batching plant. This report addresses the potential traffic effects associated with this vehicle crossing relocation.

The key traffic planning matters that will be addressed in this assessment are:

the existing traffic environment on Wairau Road,

the suitability of the proposed vehicle access location in comparison to the existing provisions, and

the integration with the signalised intersection of Wairau Road and Westlake Girls High School.

These and other matters will be addressed in detail in the following report.

By way of summary however, it is considered that the integration of the Atlas Concrete vehicle crossing with the existing signalised intersection will have positive effects on the pedestrian environment and accessibility to Atlas Concrete without unduly negatively affecting the performance of the road network.




2. Site Description

2.1 Site Location

Atlas Concrete’s batching plant operations on Wairau Road currently occupy the lots that make up 11 and 15 Wairau Road. These sites are zoned Business 9 by the Auckland Council District Plan – Operative North Shore Section 2002 (“District Plan”). Atlas Concrete also own properties at 7 and 9 Wairau Road and 8, 10 and 12 Thornton Road. Of these, 7 Wairau Road is zoned Residential 7 with the remaining properties zoned Residential 4A by the District Plan.

The relevant District Plan map indicates a road widening designation along the Wairau Road frontage of the subject site. This designation was put in place by the defunct North Shore City Council and has since been inherited by the Auckland Council, specifically the Council Controlled Organisation, Auckland Transport. It is understood that this designation covers a 5m strip along the subject site’s Wairau Road boundary.

Figure 1 is an aerial view of the site location.

The broad relationship of the site to the surrounding features includes:

Wairau Road to the southwest with WGHS opposite and State Highway 1 Northern Motorway further southwest.

Thornton Road and Residential 4A zoning to the northeast.

Residential 4A to the southeast with Shakespeare Road and North Shore Hospital further southeast.

Forrest Hill Road to the northwest.

2.2 Future Network Improvements

Over the past eight years North Shore City Council, and subsequently Auckland Council, has been progressing with the Wairau Road – Taharoto Road Corridor Upgrade (Corridor Upgrade). This eight stage corridor upgrading project is mostly completed.

2.2.1 Works Complete

Stages 1, 2 and 4 of the Corridor Upgrade were completed in January 2010. These Stages include:

Stage 1 – Widening of Wairau Road on the southern side (outside WGHS). It includes wider footpaths and landscaping, an additional southbound traffic lane, flush median for better safety between the opposing traffic lanes and a new bus lane. Provision has also been made for on-road cycle lanes to be installed as part of the Stage 3, 6 and 8 works.

Stage 2 – upgrade of the Shakespeare Road / Taharoto Road / Wairau Road intersection to include bus priority lanes, wider traffic islands for pedestrians and on-road cycle lanes.

Stage 4 – widening of Taharoto Road between Shakespeare Road and Shea Terrace. These works also include a new paved footpath, on-road cycle lane, additional southbound traffic lane, undergrounding of services, road resealing and a recessed bus bay, and

Stage 7 – Upgrade of Shakespeare Road. This has been carried out by a private developer as part of their consent conditions.

Wairau Road

Northern M

otorway S

H1

Thorton Road

Brook Street

Plan ChangeArea

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2.2.2 Works Nearing Completion

The following stages are due for completion by December 2013:

Stage 6 – Forrest Hill Road / Nile Road intersection improvements including bus priority lanes, pedestrian crossings, and additional traffic lanes, and

Stage 8 – upgrade of Forrest Hill Road / Wairau Road intersection including the upgrade of the existing traffic bridge, bus priority lanes, pedestrian crossing facilities and on-road cycle lanes.

2.2.3 Upcoming Work

Upcoming work within the Corridor Upgrade includes Stages 3 and 5. Stage 3 is currently at the initial design phase. These Stages include the following works:

Stage 3 – Widening of Wairau Road on the northern side (outside of the subject site), and

Stage 5 – Safety improvements for the Taharoto Road / Northcote Road intersection

Stage 3 of the Corridor Upgrade will involve the addition of an additional lane on Wairau Road, between Forrest Hill Road and Shakespeare Road. This widening work will take advantage of the 5m wide designation that is in place along the Wairau Road frontage of the Atlas site. Auckland Transport, the owner and operator of all public roads in Auckland, intends to purchase this designated area in order to facilitate this work.

The improvements of the Corridor Upgrade are designed to ease levels of traffic congestion along this corridor during the peak periods as well as improve public transport facilities.




3. Existing Transportation Environment

3.1 Site Access

The Atlas batching plant is currently accessed via one vehicle crossing at the southern end of 11 Wairau Road’s road frontage. This vehicle crossing is approximately 36m wide. The weekday morning and early evening peak periods see significant numbers of pedestrians walking across the vehicle crossing due to the nearby schools; Westlake Girls High School and Westlake Boys High School.

The lots at 7 and 9 Wairau Road do not have formed vehicle crossings onto Wairau Road as access is currently provided via the main vehicle crossing at 11 Wairau Road. The lots at 8, 10 and 12 Thornton Road each have vehicle crossings servicing the existing residential dwellings located there.

3.2 Road Network

Figure 2 shows the road hierarchy of the surrounding streets as set out in the District Plan.

Wairau Road to the southwest of the site is classified as a Regional Arterial. Regional arterials serve a function of strategic importance between regions or within districts. These roads generally provide access to significant areas of population and provide significant inter-urban links. Access to and from properties is allowed but may be restricted. Wairau Road provides access to the Glenfield business area for surrounding suburbs and the Northern Motorway, and links to other business areas to the south. A number of businesses currently have vehicle access from Wairau Road.

The carriageway currently has two traffic lanes in each direction of travel and a sealed width of approximately 16.5m. The traffic lanes are separated by a flush median that has a maximum width of approximately 3m. The central median is used as a bus lane for a portion of the route fronting the site. To the north of the site, one of the northbound lanes is used as an exclusive right-turn lane into Forrest Hill Road.

Photograph 1 below shows a typical section of Wairau Road fronting the site.

Photograph 1: Wairau Road, looking southeast from the Westlake Girl High School access traffic signals

RANGITIR

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SHAKEAPEARE

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TAHAROTO

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AVENUE

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ROAD HIERARCHY2

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Forrest Hill Road, which intersects with Wairau Road to the north of the site, is defined as a Regional Arterial. As an arterial route, Forrest Hill Road provides access from the eastern suburbs of North Shore City to Wairau Road which links to the Northern Motorway, the Glenfield business area, and other business areas to the south.

Forrest Hill Road has one traffic lane in each direction of travel with a sealed width of approximately 12.5m. Beyond the intersections with Wairau Road and Nile Road there is parking on both sides of the road.

Photograph 2 below shows the Forrest Hill Road at the intersection with Wairau Road prior to the current upgrade works.

Photograph 2: Forrest Hill Road at the Wairau Road intersection, looking north

Shakespeare Road, which intersects with Wairau Road to the south of the site, is defined as a District Arterial. These are roads which cater primarily for traffic movement between major areas of the city and are of strategic importance, a function which is shared with primary arterials. District arterials provide important links between residential, business, or recreational land use activities. Shakespeare Road provides links between residential suburbs to the east of North Shore City and the business areas to the north and south.

Shakespeare Road has one traffic lane in each direction of travel with a sealed width of approximately 12m. Shakespeare Road widens significantly at its southern end to provide for bus priority lanes, wider traffic islands for pedestrians and on-road cycle lanes (as part of the already completed Stage 2 of the Corridor Upgrade).

Photograph 3 below shows Shakespeare Road at the intersection with Wairau Road. Shakespeare Road is the left leg of the intersection in this image.




Photograph 3: Artist’s impression of the Wairau Road / Shakespeare Road / Taharoto Road intersection

The intersections of Wairau Road with Forrest Hill Road to the north of the site and Shakespeare Road to the south of the site are both signal-controlled.




4. Traffic Flows Turning and through traffic movements through the intersections of Wairau Road / Forrest Hill Road and Wairau Road / Shakespeare Road were surveyed on Tuesday 20 April 2010 from 7:00am – 9:00am and from 2:45pm – 6:00pm.

Whilst this data is now a little over three years old, it is considered inappropriate to survey at the time of this assessment due to the extensive construction work occurring at the Wairau Road and Forrest Hill Road intersection, as well as WGHS having broken up for the academic year. These two factors would have a considerable effect on the traffic volumes using this intersection and would therefore not be indicative of normal traffic conditions.

Whilst the upgrade of the aforementioned intersection will have significant safety and capacity benefits there have been no significant land use changes in the surrounding area that would contribute to any major changes in traffic in this location. Thus the 2010 data is considered to still be representative of the exiting traffic conditions.

The weekday morning and afternoon peak hours of the intersections were found to be 7:45am - 8:45am and 4:30pm - 5:30pm, respectively.

Figure 3 shows the surveyed volumes for the weekday AM and PM peak hours.

In addition to this, daily traffic volumes for Wairau Road were collected over the entire course of Tuesday, 20 April 2010 using pneumatic tube counts. The two-way daily traffic volume was found to be approximately 26,600 vehicles per day.

Chart 1 below shows the profile of traffic volumes in 15 minute intervals over the entire day on Tuesday, 20 April 2010.

Chart 1: Wairau Road Traffic Volumes

Chart 1 shows that southbound flows are highest in the morning peak and this is reversed in the evening with northbound flows being highest.

Wairau Road 15-Minute Traffic Volumes for Tuesday 20 April 2010

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Tuesday 20th April 2010


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631(29)

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353(7)

548(8)

28(7)

590(

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186(2)

559(23)

49(9)

30(1)1045(59)

108(

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47(1

5)

243(16)484(34)

687(29)338(32)

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ATLASCONCRETE

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45(0

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7(6)

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17(0

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674(8)

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XX = Light Vehicles(XX) = Heavy Vehicles




The automatic traffic count on 20 April 2010 also classifies vehicles into 13 vehicle classes based on axles, which are grouped into ‘light’ vehicles and ‘heavy’ vehicles. The split between light and heavy vehicles is shown in Table 1 below.

Direction All Vehicles Light Vehicles Heavy Vehicles

Vehicles Vehicles % Vehicles %

Northbound 11,566 9,824 84.9 1,742 15.1

Southbound 15,026 14,198 94.5 828 5.5

Two-way 26,592 24,022 90.3 2,570 9.7

Table 1: Existing Vehicle Composition, Wairau Road

The above table demonstrates that the two-way traffic has approximately 10% heavy vehicles.

4.1 Road Safety

A crash analysis of the roads surrounding the site was undertaken to understand the current road safety in the area. Crash data was extracted from the New Zealand Transport Agency Crash Analysis System over the last five years from 2008 to 2012, with available data from 2013 included. The search covered a 50m radius of the intersections of Wairau Road with Forrest Hill Road and Shakespeare Road, as well as midblock Wairau Road between these intersections.

Diagram 1 below shows the CAS search area.

Diagram 1: CAS search area

The crash data obtained from the search revealed the following:




4.1.1 Wairau Road / Shakespeare Road Intersection

There were 26 crashes reported at the Wairau Road / Shakespeare Road intersection of which six were minor injury crashes and 20 were non-injury crashes. Of the 26 reported crashes, 14 (54%) were related to rear-end/obstruction crashes, five (19%) were a result of overtaking manoeuvres and the remaining seven (27%) were related to crossing/turning crashes.

Of the six minor injury crashes, one involved an overtaking manoeuvre, four involved crossing/turning manoeuvres and one involved a rear-end/obstruction crash.

4.1.2 Wairau Road / Forrest Hill Road Intersection

There were 24 crashes reported at the Wairau Road / Forrest Hill Road intersection of which one was a serious injury crash, eight were minor injury crashes and 15 were non-injury crashes. Of the 24 reported crashes, seven (29%) were related to crossing/turning crashes (all of which were vehicles turning right onto Forrest Hill Road), seven (29%) were related to rear-end/obstruction crashes, six (25%) were related to lost control/head-on crashes, three (13%) were related to pedestrian crashes and one (4%) was classified as miscellaneous.

Of the eight minor injury crashes, four involved vehicles turning right into Forrest Hill Road. Three of these crashes occurred when vehicles turning right into Forrest Hill Road did not stop for the red signal and the fourth crash involved a vehicle that lost control undertaking this turn as a result of alcohol influence. The remaining four minor injury crashes included two loss of control crashes during wet weather, a nose to tail crash due to a vehicle following too closely and a crash involving a pedestrian that did not comply with the pedestrian crossing signal. The serious injury also involved a pedestrian not complying with the pedestrian crossing signal.

4.1.3 Wairau Road Midblock

There were 10 crashes reported between the 50m radii of the two major intersections discussed above of which one was a fatal injury crash, four were minor injury crashes and five were non-injury crashes.

The fatal injury crash occurred when a pedestrian crossed this section of Wairau Road, heedless of traffic.

There was one reported crash that occurred around the existing entrance to Atlas concrete however there were no reported injuries. The crash occurred during the road works associated with the Forrest Hill Road / Wairau Road upgrade and was a result of confusion as to how to access the Atlas Concrete site.

Of note are the two crashes that involved passengers of southbound vehicles opening their car door in front of cyclists. These incidents both involved minor injuries to the cyclists. This type of accident could be prevented by the provision of cycle lanes on this section of Wairau Road.

There were no reported accidents at the intersection of Wairau Road and the WGHS access.

4.1.4 Road Safety Summary

In total, there were 60 crashes reported in the crash study area in the vicinity of the site, from 2008 to 2012 with 2013 inclusive. Of these crashes, one caused a fatality, one caused a serious injury and 18 caused minor injuries.




The above search results are typical crash statistics for busy urban corridors with high traffic volumes. Therefore, it is concluded that the surrounding road network is operating with an acceptable degree of safety and that there are no inherent safety issues that will be exacerbated by the proposed activities.

The incidence of crashes does not seem to be greatly affected by the periods of construction along the corridor as part of the Corridor Upgrade. Of note, there were no reported crashes at the intersection of Wairau Road and the WGHS access.




5. Proposed Development To take advantage of the impending road widening along Wairau Road, Atlas Concrete propose to relocate their existing vehicle crossing from 11 Wairau Road to the existing signalised intersection of Wairau Road and WGHS. This proposal poses a raft of positive outcomes for both Atlas Concrete and Auckland Transport, who are responsible for the safety and operational efficiency of Wairau Road.

As part of this proposal, it is Atlas Concrete’s intention to disestablish the existing 36m long vehicle crossing. This vehicle crossing, in its current form, is excessively wide and contravenes the permitted maximum width of 9m, as outlined in Table 12.3 of the District Plan.

5.1 Intersection Upgrade

A concept design for the proposed relocation of the Atlas Concrete access is shown in Figure 4. The design takes into account the 5m road widening designation imposed by Auckland Transport and the additional carriageway width that it is understood will be added to Wairau Road as part of the Stage 3 upgrade, discussed in section 2.2.3. This additional carriageway width will allow for separated right turn bays which will ensure right turning vehicles do not impede through traffic (including the existing bus lane).

As can be seen in Figure 4, the existing Atlas Concrete vehicle crossing has been closed and replaced by garden. The new vehicle crossing will become the fourth leg of the existing Wairau Road / WGHS intersection and will be controlled via integrated signals. It is proposed to integrate this fourth leg to match the existing form of the intersection, namely with kerb and channel and asphalt surfacing. A new signalised pedestrian crossing will be established across the new leg to allow for controlled pedestrian crossing, especially during the morning and afternoon peak periods when school students are arriving and departing school.

It is proposed to provide one 7m wide entrance lane and two 4m wide exit lanes to allow for the tracking of concrete trucks in and out of site. The capacity of two exit lanes, compared to one, will allow for more vehicles to exit the site during a signal phase. This will enable the green time for this movement can be kept to a minimum and reduce the impact on the more saturated signal phases.

5.2 Trip Generation

For the avoidance of doubt, under the District Plan terminology a vehicle “manoeuvre” means a one-way trip i.e. into or out of an activity. A vehicle “movement” is a two-way trip i.e. in and out of an activity.

5.2.1 Existing Trip Generation

As part of the April 2010 surveys, the Atlas Concrete driveway was also surveyed. The result for the morning and evening peak hour are summarised in Figure 4 below:

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PROPOSED ACCESS ARRANGEMENT





The result of the survey shows the peak hours for the Atlas driveway are as follows:

Morning peak (7:45 – 8:45am): 22 entering, 17 exiting vehicles (39 vehicles)

Evening peak (4:45 – 5:45pm) 8 entering, 8 exiting vehicles (16 vehicle)

Peak of Atlas: (2 – 3pm): 34 entering, 33 exiting (67 vehicles)

Peak of WGHS: (3:15 – 4:15pm) 24 entering, 21 exiting (45 vehicles).




6. Outcomes

6.1 Operational Efficiency

6.1.1 Existing Atlas Driveway

The existing Atlas driveway has been modelled using SIDRA in order to assess the existing operational efficiency of the driveway. The results of this analysis for the AM Peak (7:45-8:45am), the School Peak (3:15-4:15pm) and the PM Peak (4:30-5:30pm) can be seen in Tables 2 - 4 below.

Approach / Movement Weekday AM PEAK

LOS Average Delay (s/veh)

Degree of Saturation

95%ile Back of Queue (m)

Wairau Road SE

T C 20.1 0.293 69.7

RT F 66.0 0.293 69.7

Approach 20.8 0.293 69.7

Atlas Concrete

LT F 61.0 0.095 2.9

RT F 470.7 0.788 24.4

Approach 326.1 0.788 24.4

Wairau Road NW

LT A 7.1 0.428 141.5

T A 0.4 0.428 141.5

Approach 0.4 0.428 141.5

Table 2: Existing Atlas Concrete Access – AM Peak

Approach / Movement Weekday School PEAK




Wairau Road SE

T A 9.5 0.306 54.2

RT D 26.6 0.306 54.2

Approach 9.7 0.306 54.2

Atlas Concrete

LT C 16.0 0.048 1.7

RT F 62.5 0.097 2.7

Approach 29.3 0.097 2.7

Wairau Road NW

LT A 6.7 0.225 22.0

T A 0.1 0.225 22.0

Approach 0.2 0.225 22.0

Table 3: Existing Atlas Concrete Access – School Peak




Approach / Movement Weekday PM PEAK




Wairau Road SE

T C 15.5 0.385 76.7

RT E 37.4 0.385 76.7

Approach 0.2 0.385 76.7

Atlas Concrete

LT C 15.8 0.003 0.0

RT F 304.9 0.450 15.6

Approach 268.7 0.450 15.6

Wairau Road NW

LT A 6.5 0.185 17.7

T A 0.0 0.185 17.7

Approach 0.1 0.185 17.7

Table 4: Existing Atlas Concrete Access – PM Peak

Currently the right turn out of the Atlas Concrete site is operating at a LOSF during all three periods and the left turn out at a LOSC or LOSF in the AM peak. The left turn into the Atlas Concrete site from Wairau Road is currently creating queues on Wairau Road of up to 141.5m long during the AM peak. The right turn into the Atlas site is also creating queuing and delay on Wairau Road northbound, this is the worst during the PM peak with queues of up to 76.7m.

6.1.1.1 Pedestrians

Pedestrian movements across the Atlas Concrete Driveway were also counted during the surveys. Currently the greatest pedestrian demand across the Atlas driveway occurs during the school peak. There are 788 pedestrians crossing during this time. The AM peak also has a high number of pedestrians crossing the driveway with a count of 757. During the PM peak the pedestrian demand diminishes to 26.

6.1.2 Existing Wairau Road / Westlake Girls Intersection

The existing signalised intersection between the Westlake Girls entrance and Wairau Road has been modelled using the SIDRA software in order to assess the existing operational efficiency of the intersection for all three periods. The results of this analysis can be seen in Tables 5 - 7 below.








Wairau Road SE

LT A 8.7 0.420 19.7

T A 2.2 0.420 19.7

Approach A 2.5 0.420 19.7

Wairau Road NW

T A 1.3 0.505 37.0

RT E 60.8 0.206 30.0

Approach A 3.9 0.505 37.0

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 42.5 0.017 3.3

RT E 65.9 0.021 2.2

Approach D 50.3 0.021 3.3

Table 5: Existing Wairau Road / Westlake Girls Intersection – AM Peak





Wairau Road SE

LT A 8.4 0.523 28.4

T A 2.0 0.523 29.1

Approach A 2.1 0.523 29.1

Wairau Road NW

T A 1.0 0.265 13.7

RT E 62.3 0.062 5.7

Approach A 2.0 0.265 13.7

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 51.3 0.134 17.1

RT E 68.2 0.229 15.7

Approach D 58.7 0.229 17.1

Table 6: Existing Wairau Road / Westlake Girls Intersection – School Peak








Wairau Road SE

LT A 8.7 0.621 46.9

T A 2.3 0.621 47.0

Approach A 2.3 0.621 47.0

Wairau Road NW

T A 0.9 0.220 10.6

RT E 68.2 0.070 7.1

Approach A 2.5 0.220 10.6

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 48.0 0.107 17.2

RT E 67.3 0.071 7.5

Approach D 53.1 0.107 17.2

Table 7: Existing Wairau Road / Westlake Girls Intersection – PM Peak

Currently, this intersection operates at LOSA for both of the through movements on Wairau Road. The Westlake Girls approach has an average delay of between 50 – 59 seconds for all of the time periods analysed with the largest queues forming during the school peak and PM peak.

6.1.3 Proposed Intersection Layout

The proposed signalised intersection with the new Atlas Concrete intersection arm has been modelled using the SIDRA software in order to assess the future operational efficiency of the proposed intersection in all three periods. The results of this analysis can be seen in Tables 8 – 10 below.





Wairau Road SE

LT B 10.0 0.434 30.0

T A 3.0 0.434 30.0

RT E 76.8 0.171 7.8

Approach A 4.4 0.434 30.0

Atlas Concrete NE

LT E 62.7 0.033 3.9

T E 72.0 0.160 8.7

RT E 78.4 0.160 8.7

Approach E 72.8 0.160 8.7

Wairau Road NW

LT B 12.8 0.744 107.0

T B 4.8 0.744 107.0

RT D 80.6 0.762 35.9

Approach B 8.1 0.762 107.0








Westlake Girls SW

LT D 46.7 0.034 3.5

T D 49.4 0.017 2.3

RT E 55.8 0.017 2.3

Approach D 49.7 0.034 3.5

Table 8: Proposed Wairau Road / Westlake Girls /Atlas Concrete Intersection – AM Peak





Wairau Road SE

LT B 11.7 0.570 60.1

T A 5.3 0.570 60.9

RT F 81.8 0.217 9.1

Approach A 6.3 0.570 60.9

Atlas Concrete NE

LT E 58.3 0.065 9.1

T E 62.7 0.049 4.2

RT E 69.0 0.049 4.2

Approach E 61.4 0.065 9.1

Wairau Road NW

LT B 17.9 0.432 58.7

T A 7.9 0.432 58.7

RT F 80.0 0.176 6.8

Approach A 9.2 0.432 58.7

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 45.2 0.162 15.3

T D 51.8 0.162 14.4

RT E 58.2 0.162 14.4

Approach D 50.9 0.162 15.3

Table 9: Proposed Wairau Road / Westlake Girls /Atlas Concrete Intersection – School Peak








Wairau Road SE

LT A 8.7 0.646 47.5

T A 2.3 0.646 47.6

RT E 79.5 0.034 1.4

Approach A 2.5 0.646 47.6

Atlas Concrete NE

LT E 63.1 0.007 0.8

T E 72.2 0.122 6.8

RT E 78.6 0.122 6.8

Approach E 76.5 0.122 6.8

Wairau Road NW

LT A 8.5 0.288 11.4

T A 1.9 0.288 11.2

RT F 80.3 0.201 7.8

Approach A 3.8 0.288 11.4

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 46.2 0.148 16.4

T E 57.0 0.071 7.5

RT E 63.4 0.071 7.5

Approach D 50.8 0.148 16.4

Table 10: Proposed Wairau Road / Westlake Girls /Atlas Concrete Intersection – PM Peak

Overall the proposed intersection is shown to operate efficiently.

The proposed intersection reduces the average delay at the Atlas driveway in the AM peak from 326.1 seconds to 72.8 seconds. The average delay in the other peak times is also greatly reduced.

The delay on Wairau Road increases slightly in all of the periods with the additional intersection arm as expected. However the increase in delay is marginal and as an example, in the AM peak the southeast leg only increases to an average delay of 5.2 seconds from 2.5 seconds and in the School Peak the same leg increases to 6.3 seconds from 2.1 seconds.

For the Westlake Girls approach during all of the time periods the average delay actually improves with the proposed signalised intersection as the additional delay caused by the new leg is experienced on Wairau Road.

Tables 11 – 13 below outlines the changes between the existing intersection and the proposed intersection with the additional leg for the Atlas driveway.





Average Delay (s/veh)



Wairau Road SE Approach +1.9 +0.014 +10.3

Wairau Road NW Approach +4.2 +0.257 +70.0

Westlake Girls Approach -0.6 +0.013 +0.2

Table 11: Difference between the proposed intersection and existing intersection – AM Peak







Westlake Girls Approach -7.8 -0.067 -1.8

Table 12: Difference between the proposed intersection and existing intersection – School Peak







Westlake Girls Approach -2.3 +0.041 -0.8

Table 13: Difference between the proposed intersection and existing intersection – PM Peak

The tables above show that the proposed intersection has a minimal effect on the overall delay of the intersection as a whole. The largest effect is the additional queues created on Wairau Road on the North-western approach in the AM and School Peaks.

6.1.4 Sensitivity Test

The proposed signalised intersection between Westlake Girls, Atlas Concrete and Wairau Road has been modelled using the SIDRA software in order to assess the operational efficiency of the proposed intersection if the Atlas Concrete traffic flows were to increase in the future. The flow demands of the Atlas Concrete site in this simulation were doubled in order to provide a sensitivity test. The results of this analysis can be seen in Tables 14 – 17 below.








Wairau Road SE

LT A 9.5 0.429 25.7

T A 2.5 0.429 25.7

RT E 75.8 0.239 15.6

Approach A 4.9 0.429 25.7

Atlas Concrete NE

LT E 62.2 0.064 7.9

T E 77.2 0.414 17.9

RT F 83.5 0.414 17.9

Approach E 76.0 0.414 17.9

Wairau Road NW

LT B 15.2 0.760 138.9

T A 5.6 0.760 138.9

RT E 77.2 0.533 34.3

Approach A 8.8 0.760 138.9

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 45.6 0.030 3.4

T D 51.3 0.019 2.4

RT E 57.7 0.019 2.4

Approach D 49.7 0.030 3.4

Table 14: Sensitivity Test - Proposed Wairau Road / Westlake Girls /Atlas Concrete Intersection – AM Peak





Wairau Road SE

LT C 23.5 0.517 162.9

T B 17.0 0.517 162.9

RT F 83.3 0.434 18.5

Approach B 18.6 0.517 162.9

Atlas Concrete NE

LT E 67.8 0.190 20.2

T E 75.3 0.216 9.1

RT F 81.7 0.216 9.1

Approach E 71.9 0.216 20.2

Wairau Road NW

LT D 36.2 0.417 119.7

T C 21.5 0.417 122.6

RT F 80.0 0.176 6.8

Approach C 22.9 0.417 122.6

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 50.2 0.162 16.6

T D 52.8 0.170 14.5

RT E 59.1 0.170 14.5

Approach D 54.1 0.170 16.6

Table 15: Sensitivity Test - Proposed Wairau Road / Westlake Girls /Atlas Concrete Intersection – School Peak








Wairau Road SE

LT A 8.7 0.646 47.5

T A 2.3 0.646 47.6

RT F 80.2 0.068 2.8

Approach A 2.6 0.646 47.6

Atlas Concrete NE

LT E 65.4 0.020 2.0

T E 77.3 0.326 14.4

RT F 83.7 0.326 14.4

Approach E 80.5 0.326 14.4

Wairau Road NW

LT C 22.3 0.293 76.4

T B 14.3 0.293 76.7

RT F 80.3 0.201 7.8

Approach B 15.9 0.293 76.7

Westlake Girls SW

LT D 45.7 0.136 16.3

T D 55.0 0.064 7.4

RT E 61.3 0.064 7.4

Approach D 49.9 0.136 16.3

Table 16: Sensitivity Test - Proposed Wairau Road / Westlake Girls /Atlas Concrete Intersection – PM Peak

Overall, the intersection still operates effectively with the worst degree of saturation being 0.76 (AM peak).

The Atlas Concrete approach experiences a minor increase in delay of 3.2 seconds and queue length of 9.2m with double the traffic. The increase only affects the overall performance of the intersection slightly with a small increase in delay on Wairau Road of less than a second in both directions. The largest increase is the queue on Wairau Road North-western approach which increases from 107m to 138.9m.

The Atlas Concrete site produces it greatest level of trips during the School Peak and therefore doubling the Atlas traffic during this period has the greatest effect on the intersection. On Wairau Road southeast the delay increases from 6.3 seconds to 18.6 seconds and on the northwest approach from 9.2 seconds to 22.9 seconds. The queues on Wairau Road Northwest approach increase from 58.7m to 122.6m.

Overall the intersection can still operate efficiently if in the future the Atlas Concrete site were to produce twice of their current trips.

6.1.5 Effect on Westlake Girls

Overall the proposed intersection will have little effect in the Westlake Girls approach provided the existing place time of Westlake Girls is maintained in the new traffic signals. The modelling shows that this can occur and thus the effect to Westlake Girls will generally be




positive in that the proposal removes a very wide priority crossing for large trucks which significant number of students currently traverse.

6.2 Safety

The proposed intersection arrangement is expected to increase the safety of the area, especially pedestrian safety.

Currently 788 pedestrians cross the Atlas Concrete driveway during the school peak hour. During this hour, 21 vehicles leave the site (including 12 heavy vehicles) and 24 enter the site (including 15 heavy vehicles). The current Atlas Concrete driveway is very wide at 36m wide. Therefore, moving the Atlas concrete driveway to the signalised intersection will allow this large number of pedestrians to cross the Atlas concrete driveway during a dedicated pedestrian signal phase and avoid the conflicting movements with heavy vehicles.

The proposed intersection will remove the left turn movement into the site that can currently cause queues on one of the Wairau Road through lanes and remove the risk of rear end crashes on this mid-block section. The current right turn into the Atlas concrete site will also be removed. Since there is no flush median or right turn bay on Wairau Road right turning vehicles (and in particular trucks) will block traffic travelling north on Wairau Road. Removing this driveway location will remove this delay and also avoid the conflicting movement of heavy vehicles turning across two lanes of oncoming traffic.

Overall, the proposed intersection which is to include the Atlas concrete driveway at the nearby signalised intersection will only increase the safety of the surrounding road network for both motorists and pedestrians.




7. Conclusion The proposal to relocate the existing ATLAS vehicle crossing on Wairau Road has been assessed in terms of safety and efficiency. Overall, the proposal to move the crossing to the new leg of an existing traffic signal controlled crossing opposite Westlake Girls High School is expected to result in the following:

Little to no change to Westlake Girls High School driveway (providing existing phase times is maintained).

Minimal effect to the through traffic delay on Wairau Road (intersection still well within typical capacity limits).

Significant improvement to the safety of the overall network, particularly pedestrians.

Overall, the proposal is considered to have a positive traffic effect.

TDG

ANNEXURE 4 District Plan Extracts - Planning Maps

- Vehicle Crossing

Provisions (Rule 12.4.2.8 and Assessment Criteria 12.5.1)

ALTON A

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Scale 1:10000

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Busway Designations

See Appendix 9for clarification of

Busway Designations

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PEARN PL ERNIE MAYS

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KITEWAOST

SUNHAVEN AVE

ARCHERS RD

VELMA

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Scale 1:10000

Cadastral Base Updated February 2014

24 26

20

30

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City Boundary

Preferred Road

Recreation 1 to 4 Zones

Business 1 to 12 Zones

Residential 1 to 8 Zones

Structure Plan Zones

Special Height Restriction

Residential Expansion Zone

Rural 1 to 4 Zones

Zone Boundary

Road, Service Lane, Accessway

1 Health

2 Education

3 Wastewater Treatment Plant

4 Cemetery & Crematorium

5 Transitional Quarry

6 Boat Building

7 Marinas

8 Awataha Marae

9 Community Use

10 Centrepoint Community Growth Trust

11 Albany Centre Amenity Area

12 North Shore Domain & Stadium

13 Chelsea Sugar Refinery Disposal Area

14A Devonport Naval Base (Health & Administration)

14B Devonport Naval Base (HMNZS Philomel)

15 Devonport Naval Base HMNZ Dockyard

a) boundary between two different zones of the same type

b) a zone boundary which does not follow a cadastral boundary

LB5A & 5B Long Bay 5A & 5B (Village Centre)

LB6 Long Bay 6 (Stormwater Management)

LB7 Long Bay 7 (Heritage Protection)

A(A) Area A: Environmental Protection (Albany)

A(G) Area A: Environmental Protection (Greenhithe)

C Area C: Standard Residential (Albany & Greenhithe)

B(A) Area B: Environmental Protection (Albany)

B(G) Area B: Environmental Protection (Greenhithe)

MX Mixed Use Overlay Area (Albany & Greenhithe)

D Area D: Standard Residential (Albany & Greenhithe)

LB1A Long Bay 1A (Large Lot Residential 2500m2)

LB1B Long Bay 1B (Rural Residential 5000m2)

LB3A & 3B Long Bay 3A & 3B (Urban Neighbourhood)

LB4 Long Bay 4 (Urban Village)

LB2 Long Bay 2 (Suburban Neighbourhood)

LB1C Long Bay 1C (Piripiri Point Rural)

Foreshore Yard measured froma surveyed reference line

Foreshore Yard measured fromMean High Water Springs

Ridgeline Height Control

Long Bay Streams

Riparian Margins in Long Bay 6 Zone

Landscape Protection Area - Enhancement

Ecology / Stormwater Management Area

Piripiri Point Protection Area

Park Interface Protection Area

Landscape Protection Area - Conservation

Landscape Protection Area - Restoration

Heritage Management Plan Area

Designations

Road, Service Lane, Accessway

Proposed Road or Service Lane

(Refer Appendix 5 for map enlargements)

Reserve / Open Space Linkages

(Refer Section 8 of Volume I for details)

Geological Site(Refer Appendix 8B of Volume I for details)

Coastal Marine Area Boundary(Refer to Auckland Regional Plan:Coastal for details and co - ordinates)

Archaeological Site(Refer Appendix 11B of Volume I for details)

Small Geological Site(Refer Appendix 8B of Volume I for details)

Significant Landscape Features

Proposed Reserves

Road to be closed

10m Vaughans Road Setback

Stream Interface Management Area

Notable Trees(Refer Appendix 8C of Volume I for details)

(Refer Appendix 11A of Volume I for details)

9

9*

The figure is the width of the yard in metres. (Refer Appendix 21E of Volume II for details)

The figure is the width of the yard in metres from the reference line. (Refer Appendix 8 for map enlargements)

Service Utility (location indicative)

Stormwater Ponds (location indicative)

Long Bay Protection and Management Areas(see Appendix 11A for Land Use Strategy & Appendix 11B for Additional Controls)

Refer Appendix 8A of Volume 1 for details)N.B. Those parts of the Sites of Special Wildlife Interest withinthe Coastal Marine Area subject to the control of theAuckland Regional Plan: Coastal

(Refer Appendix 14A of Volume I for details)

Notable Grove of Trees(Refer Appendix 8C of Volume I for details)

Historic Building, Object or Place

(Designated / Vested)

Building Line Restriction

Coastal Conservation Area

Site of Special Wildlife Interest

Business Policy Overlay B1

Section 12:

District Plan June 2002 Updated January 2011 12-29

to and from the road and for the manoeuvring of vehicles within any non-residential site shall not exceed a gradient of 1:8 in any part.

d) Manoeuvring

i) In the Business 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 zones, parking and loading spaces shall bearranged so that no reverse manoeuvring onto the road or footpath is required.No reverse manoeuvre in excess of 30 metres shall be permitted.

ii) In all other zones, manoeuvring areas for parking spaces shall be provided sothat no reverse manoeuvring on a road or footpath is required, provided that thisshall not apply to land zoned Rural, Urban Expansion or Residential zones in thefollowing situation:

• The site is a front or corner site; and

• The site does not have access to an arterial road shown on Appendix 1 tothe District Plan Maps; and

• There are not more than four parking spaces on the site; and

• The site does not gain access from any road at a point where visibility atthe road is considered by the Council to be limited; and

• A reverse manoeuvre of not more than 50 metres is required.

Control Flexibility

An alternative arrangement to the requirements of Rule 12.4.2.7 may be permitted, by means of a Limited Discretionary activity application.

Explanation and Reasons

Rules on access to parking and loading spaces are applied to ensure that any activity occurring on a site can be accommodated by the site layout and will not adversely affect the safety or efficiency of the public road system.Reasons for inclusion of rules on access is that without them there is a probability that adequate access provisions are unlikely to be made.

12.4.2.8 Vehicle CrossingsVehicle crossings shall meet the following requirements:

a) Numbers of Crossings

In all zones vehicle crossings, including those over footpaths and/or channels, shallcomply with the following requirements:

The maximum number of crossings and the maximum width of each crossing at the boundary of the site shall be determined as follows:

Table 12.3 Vehicle Crossing Standards

i) For sites in all zones except Business zones and infill subdivision anddevelopement in Residental zones

Street Frontage

No. of Residential Units

Maximum No. of Crossings

Maximum Width of Each Crossing at Site Boundary

Minimum Width

Less than 18 metres

Less than 6 1 3.5 metres 2.75 metres

More than 6 1 5.5 metres 2.75 metres

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Section 12:

12-30 Updated January 2011 District Plan June 2002

Control Flexibility

An alternative arrangement to any of the requirements of Rule 12.4.2.8(a) may be permitted, by means of a Limited Discretionary activity application.

18 metres or more

2 A total of 5.5 metres and if 2 crossings are established they must be located at least 9.5 metres apart

2.75 metres

For sites created by infill subdivision and or development in Residential zones, any new vehicle crossing(s), in addition to those that currently exist, shall be limited discretionary activity. Discretion shall be limited to the number, width and location of crossings. The assessment criteria in 12.5.1.2(d) shall apply. Except that this rule shall not apply where a front site is subdivided into two front sites or a through site is subdivided to create two front sites.

ii) For sites in Business zones

Street Frontage

Maximum No. of Crossings Maximum Width of Each Crossing at Site Boundary

Minimum Width

Less than 20 metres

1 7.5 metres 2.75 metres

20 metres or more

either 2 6 metres 2.75 metres

or 1 combined crossing 9 metres 2.75 metres

iii) Except that no vehicle access will be allowed to any street frontage specified as a no vehicle access frontage in Appendix 7 of the planning maps.

Table 12.4 Vehicle Crossing Standards Mixed Use Overlay Area

iv) For each contiguous area of Mixed Use Zone:

Street Frontage

Maximum No of Crossings Maximum Width of Each Crossing atSite Boundary

Minimum Width

Key Route 1 5.5 metres 2.75 metres

Intersecting Street

2 5.5 metres 2.75 metres

Table 12.3 Vehicle Crossing Standards

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b) Required Distance from Intersection Corners

Where a site is located on an intersection corner, any vehicle crossing shall be located adjacent to the side boundary furthest from the intersection, so that no part of the crossing is more than 6 metres from the boundary. Provided that where a vehicle crossing complies with the requirements below, the vehicle crossing may be placed further than 6 metres from the boundary:

i) The minimum separation distance of crossings from intersections shall be:

• For a crossing providing for left turns only:-25 metres on any arterial frontage-15 metres on any collector or local road frontage.

• For a driveway providing for any right turns:-30 metres on any arterial frontage-25 metres on any collector or local road frontage.

Control Flexibility

An alternative arrangement for the positioning of a vehicle crossing near an intersection or corner may be permitted by means of a Limited Discretionary activity application.

c) Removal of Redundant CrossingWhere the location of a site’s vehicle crossing is altered at the request of the owner or occupier, any vehicle crossing no longer required shall be removed and the land reinstated either as footpath or grass berm. The altered crossing(s) shall comply with the above provisions on location, size and number of crossings. This restoration work shall be done at the expense of the owner or occupier.


The purpose of vehicle crossing rules is to protect the safety of road users and pedestrians and to promote the efficient functioning of the road network.

The reason for the inclusion of rules on vehicle crossings is that without them there is a high probability that inadequate and unsafe crossing provision will be made.

12.4.2.9 Access Requirements for Drive Through ActivitiesAny drive-through activity shall comply with the following:

a) Minimum sight distances for any access points shall be:

MINIMUM SIGHT DISTANCE (metres)

Frontage Road Classification

85 Percentile Speed (kph) Local Collector/Arterial

40 30 70

50 40 90

60 55 115

70 85 140

80 105 175

90 130 210

100 160 250

110 190 290

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Section 12:

12-36 Updated October 2010 District Plan June 2002

deterred from using local roads, the primary purpose of which is to provide access to land uses.

12.4.3.2 Specific Rules for Classified Roadsa) National Routes

i) No activity shall have access onto any motorway.

ii) Any activity gaining access from a limited access road shall comply with Transit New Zealand Guidelines for access requirements. Where a proposed activity requires access to a limited access road, the applicant is advised to seek a crossing licence in written form from Transit New Zealand prior to any consent application to the Council.


It is important to minimise the conflict between access and movement along roads which have a through travel function. Rules based on the roading hierarchy classification safeguard the safety of road users and the efficiency of the network.

Rules on access and development for each classification of roads are needed to ensure adequate provisions may be made for accessing the roading network safely.

12.4.3.3 Minimum Road and Service Lane Widthsa) Where any new road is proposed, except where specified in the Council’s Corporate

Design Manual (which is available on request), the minimum width and construction of the road shall comply with the New Zealand Standard 4404:1981.

b) The minimum width of any service lane shall be 3.7 metres.

c) Road berms shall be wide enough to allow for the future planting of trees and vegetation as well as the provision of services.

Control Flexibility

A reduction in the width of a road or service lane may be consented to subject to an application for a Limited Discretionary activity application and provided that adequate provision for the installation, maintenance and repair of network utilities can be made, where required, in the narrower service lane.


It is important to ensure that road and service lane widths are adequate to fulfil their functions. Minimum widths for roads and service lanes are identified. However, where a road or service lane is to provide for a less intense use a lesser width may, be allowed. An example of this is the Clarence Street to Fleet Street service lane which has been developed to provide a pedestrian rather than vehicular scale in order to enhance the amenity of the area. Rules are included to ensure that the functions of a road or service lane are not limited by the width provided. It should also be noted that notwithstanding any consent gained for a reduced width of service lane, the Council may exercise the powers given to it by Section 325 of the Local Government Act 1974 to require land for service lane purposes on the redevelopment of any property.

12.5 Assessment Criteria

12.5.1 Assessment Criteria for Limited Discretionary Applications

12.5.1.1 General Assessment Criteria for Control FlexibilityWhere any Permitted or Controlled activity fails to comply with any control specified in Section 12.4, the Council may consent to the activity as a Limited Discretionary activity, where it is satisfied that all the following criteria are met:

a) The Rule provides for Control Flexibility, and the activity falls within the limits specified under the heading Control Flexibility, or where no limits are specified, the effects will be minor, having regard to the stated Explanation of the control; and

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Section 12:

District Plan June 2002 Updated November 2013 12-37

b) Any adverse effects of the activity can be avoided, remedied or mitigated through the imposition of conditions; and

c) Either

The proposal meets the intent of the control as contained in its associated Explanation;

Or

It is unreasonable or impractical to enforce the control, and one or more of the site characteristics specified in Section 3.10.6 and the criteria listed in Section 12.5.1.2 shall apply.

12.5.1.2 Additional Assessment Criteria for Control Flexibilitya) Reduction in Parking Spaces: General

Where the proposal fails to comply with the parking and loading space standards in Rule 12.4.2.1 to Rule 12.4.2.2, an application for consent to provide fewer or no spaces will be considered. This will be assessed against the following:

• Whether the site is located within the Business 11 zone and a traffic report prepared by a suitably qualified person demonstrates that the specific proposal for retail activity with a floor area greater than 500 m2 will generate a lower parking demand than the District Plan standard.

• Whether the required parking on the site can be practicably provided with regard to the existing location of buildings, availability of access to the road and other similar matters

• Whether there is an alternative adequate supply of parking in the vicinity. Possible alternatives include public car parks and formed angle parking on adjacent roads. On street parallel parking, particularly in residential roads, is not normally considered a viable alternative, and such parking cannot be reserved specifically for any one activity

• Where two adjacent sites, or activities on the same site (e.g. in a shopping centre), have uses at different, non-conflicting times of the day or week, or where there is another site or activity in the immediate vicinity that has parking spaces which are not required at the same time as the proposed activity, or the cumulative parking demand can be shown to be less than the sum of the individual parking requirements, the minimum parking requirement can be shared or assessed together. For example, the proposed activity operates outside of normal business hours and the other activity only operates during normal business hours. In such situations where activities are on different sites, the Council will require a legal agreement between the applicant and owner of the site confirming such an arrangement

• Whether a demonstrably lower than normal incidence of parking will be generated by the proposal, e.g. due to specific business practice, operating method or type of customer

• Whether the applicant can demonstrate that a significant number of the customers or users of the proposed activity are transported to the site by bus or van. The substitution of sheltered bus stops or bus parking spaces for a number of car parking spaces may be accepted where this travel occurs. Such bus parking spaces are to be of a standard acceptable to the Council

• Whether the site is located in a Residential zone (including the Long Bay 1-4 zones), Coastal Conservation Area, Business Policy Overlay B1, or on a Heritage site and the provision of full car parking would detrimentally affect the specific character and features of the area or site

• Whether the site is located within a Business zone (including the Long Bay 5 zones) or centre where there is a separate rating area for parking purposes and a specific site has been identified for a public car park

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Section 12:

12-38 Updated January 2011 District Plan June 2002

• Whether the site is located within a Business zone (including the Long Bay 5 zones) or centre where a site has been designated for purchase and development as a public car park area

• Whether a significant adverse effect on the character and amenity of the surrounding area will occur as a result of providing the required parking spaces

• Where a parking provision has already been made in respect of the site, whether by on-site parking areas, previous cash-in-lieu payments or a special rating mechanism, such provision may be taken into account in assessing the parking requirement

• Whether any Council-adopted Centre Plan, affecting the site, varies the car parking requirement.

b) Increase in Parking Spaces in the Business Park 7A zone at Smales Farm as set out in Rule 12.4.2.3(ii)

When additional parking is sought under control flexibility as provided for in Rule 12.4.2.3(ii) the proposal for additional parking will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Whether additional parking is required as a short term measure associated with construction activity or with the establishment of a new tenant (with a travel plan to be developed and implemented so that the parking demand generated by that tenant is reduced over time);

• Whether the frequency of, and areas served by, public transport services at the Smales Farm Bus Station are at a level that satisfactorily addresses demand from those working in buildings within the Business Park 7A zone at Smales Farm;

• Whether the average floorspace occupied per office employee within the Business Park 7A zone at Smales Farm is less than the average for office activity in similar centres in North Shore City; and

• Whether a Travel Demand Management Plan that encourages employees to use travel modes other than private motor vehicle is being actively managed on an ongoing basis by the manager of the Smales Farm Technology Office Park.

c) Reduction in Parking Spaces for Cyclist Facilities

The Council may approve a reduction in the number of required parking spaces where an applicant can show that cycle facilities are needed and will be utilised, and an application complies with the following:

• For a reduction of 1 parking space for every 20 spaces required the applicant should supply fully enclosed, secure, storage facilities for at least 10 bicycles.

d) Reduction of Parking Spaces for Pedestrian Facilities

In respect of Part Allotment 21 Section 2 DP 20347, the Council shall approve a reduction of 12 parking spaces from the number of parking spaces required where the applicant can show on redevelopment of the land that a pedestrian accessway has been approved which satisfies the following standards:

i) The minimum width of the accessway shall be 2.4 metres;

ii) The accessway shall have a minimum height of 2.7 metres;

iii) The total length of the accessway must not exceed 70 metres;

iv) The accessway must be well lit; and

v) The accessway must be open at all times to allow the public pedestrian access through the site.

e) Number and Widths of Crossings and Proximity of Crossings to IntersectionsAn application to provide an alternative arrangement for a vehicle crossing will be assessed against the following:

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• The need for an increase in the width of any crossing or the number of crossings to be provided, based on the configuration of the site, and the access requirements of the activity concerned

• The safe ingress and egress of vehicles to the site and the safe movement of vehicles on the adjoining road network

• The cumulative effect of addtional vehicle crossing(s) on traffic, cyclist and pedestrian safety

• The extent to which other users of the road reserve, including pedestrians, will be adversely affected

• The practicalities of sharing the use of an existing vehicle crossing(s)• The number of on-street parking spaces that are lost as a result of the

additional vehicle crossing.• The loss of grass berm space and opportunity for street trees and the effects

on stormwater management and the amenity of the street

f) Reductions in Road and Service Lane Widths

The Council may approve a reduction in the required width of a road or service lane where an application complies with the following requirements:

• The design of any road and the elements within it shall reflect the intended function of the road in the roading hierarchy and be designed to promote safe and efficient functioning; in particular:i) The width of the legal road must be sufficient to cater for all its functions

including the safe and efficient movement of vehicles and people, provision for parked vehicles, provision of utility services, landscaping and the provision of footpaths.

ii) The carriageway shall be designed to allow unobstructed access to individual sites, safe passing of cyclists, and safe manoeuvring and movement of vehicles.

• The width of a service lane may be reduced to a minimum of 2.8 metres where an applicant can show that the reduction in width will not limit the functioning and safety of any service access.

g) Design of Parking and Loading Spaces

An application to provide an alternative design of parking and loading spaces or a lesser number of loading spaces will be assessed against the following:

• The general assessment criteria listed in Section 12.5.1. The extent to which users of the site will be adversely affected

• The ability of vehicles to manoeuvre on-site without undue difficulty• The ability of the parking and loading spaces provided should be adequate to

serve existing and future users of the site• The safe and easy movement of vehicles on the site.

h) Reduction in the Standard of Gradients An application to provide a lesser standard of gradients for carriageways, parking spaces and manoeuvring areas will be assessed against the following:

• Compliance with NZS4121 for any required operations mobility car spaces, and associated access

• The ability of vehicles to manoeuvre safely on-site without undue difficulty in any weather

• The ability of the carriageways, parking spaces and manoeuvring areas to serve existing and future users of the site

• That portion of residential carriageway which will be in excess of 1:5 is short in length, within a straight section of carriageway, and will not in any way preclude the safe passage of vehicles in any weather

• The extent to which vehicles entering or exiting the site are able to see pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles on the carriageway and roadway

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Documents

ATLAS CONCRETE LIMITED - Auckland Council · 2015. 4. 6. · 1.1.6 Atlas Concrete lodged a submission on theProposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) on 28 February 2014(Submission No