Proposed District Plan - Hauraki Gulf Islands Section 2006

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Key changes

• Waiheke
• Great Barrier
• Other islands
• Questions and answers

The proposed plan has been developed to respond to the changing needs of the Gulf islands over the coming years.

The aim is to future-proof the plan so that it protects the area's unique natural environment while catering for development in a controlled and managed way.

Some of the key changes proposed in the plan are:

• a focus on sustainability
• a move towards low-impact design
• refocused objectives, policies and rules and a move to more listed activities
• new sections on transport (Connectivity and linkages); natural hazards, network utilities, and hazardous facilities and contaminated land
• provision for a range of land uses throughout the islands to enable local economies to diversify and expand
• changes to the structure of the plan which will see most policy areas replaced with either land units or, on Great Barrier, settlement areas
• changes to the number and type of land units, including a rationalisation of landform land units to provide a more effective set of controls for rural land
• the introduction of a conservation land unit, which applies to all Department of Conservation land and some privately-owned land with high conservation value
• the introduction of a maximum building footprint in specified land units and settlement areas
• revised subdivision standards, including the removal of provisions to vary the minimum site size
• changes to requirements for resource consents, including replacing controlled activities with either permitted or restricted discretionary activities
• the introduction of impervious surface controls
• changes to controls around wastewater
• a targeted approach to financial contributions covering open space, infrastructure, community amenities, and environment and heritage
• an increased recognition of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000
• recognition of the Auckland Regional Council's proposed policy on outstanding natural landscapes
• removal of the separate section on the standards for discretionary activities (which contained discretionary limits for infringements to permitted standards for development controls)
• introduction of development control modification criteria to assess applications where the development controls for land units and settlement areas are not met.

Key changes for Waiheke

• the identification and protection of more heritage items, including archaeological, geological and ecological sites, buildings and trees
• encouraging planting for wastewater and stormwater control
• introduction of custom-made land units which include specific controls to reflect the character of different parts of the island
• changes to land unit 20, now called rural 1 (rural amenity). The changes recognise the differences between areas of the land unit, including increasing the minimum site size to 5ha and incorporating new resource consent requirements for buildings and activities
• combining land unit 21(Te Whau), land unit 22 (western landscape), and the area known as Thompsons Point to create one land unit named rural 2 (western landscape), which has new controls for subdivision
• changes to the activity status and the removal of the variation to minimum site sizes for subdivision - in particular for island residential land units (previously land units 11 and 12). This means any subdivision that creates sites smaller than 2000m2 will be a non-complying activity
• reclassification of small pieces of land at Oneroa and Ostend so that they become island residential 1 or 2
• reclassification of land at Beatty Parade from industrial to commercial 3 (local shops)
• the introduction of new controls for commercial areas, and the extension of the Oneroa village boundary to the west
• changes to height, coverage and noise controls for visitor facilities
• introduction of new controls for industrial land, including new height to boundary rules
• the reflection of the Environment Court directions and the 'good ideas' search for Matiatia
• the incorporation of the five central principles of Essentially Waiheke.

Key changes for Great Barrier

• the replacement of "policy areas" with "settlement areas" to target growth and development within existing settled areas. Settlement areas are located at Tryphena, Medlands, Claris, Port Fitzroy, Okiwi, Whangaparapara, Okupu, Aotea (Motairehe/Kaoa) and Awana
• the provision for different activities within the settlement areas such as residential, retail and industrial activities
• the introduction of a permitted standard for the colour of buildings in the settlement areas
• the introduction of a wharf land unit to allow for appropriate development in the area surrounding the wharves
• the introduction of recreation land units to provide for and recognise local parks, esplanade reserves and community facilities and sports parks
• the provision of one strategic management area (SMA) to provide one strategic direction for the island as a whole.

Key changes for other islands

Key changes for Rakino are:

• the introduction of a specific rural land unit, rural 3 (Rakino amenity) to replace the existing land unit 20 areas to meet the specific needs of Rakino Island
• the introduction of the recreation 2 land unit for community facilities and sports parks
• changes to subdivision rules to encourage regenerative planting
• changes the activity status and minimum site sizes for subdivision, in particular for the island residential 1 land unit where any subdivision with sites smaller than 2000m2 will be a non-complying activity.

Key changes for Rotoroa are:

• recognition of the closure of the rehabilitation facility
• the requirement for an integrated visitor development plan
• the introduction of a conservation and recreation approach to redevelop the island
• the introduction of specific controls to provide for some residential and visitor activities

Key changes for Pakatoa are:

• separation of the island into tourist, residential and landscape protection areas
• the provision of some residential and visitor accommodation units
• the introduction of new controls for subdivision.