Plans, policies and reports
Hauraki Gulf Islands review
<<
Back to contents
Issues and options papers
Design Issues
Issue
Urban design can be described as the art of making places for people. It
includes the way places work as well as how they look. As the Gulf Islands are
not urban in nature, use of the term urban design may not be considered
appropriate. Therefore, for the purpose of this document urban design has been
referred to as 'design issues'.
Good quality design:
- aims to create a 'sense of place';
- concerns the three-dimensional design of places where people work, live,
and play, and their subsequent use and management;
- is the physical design of the public realm;
- can reflect the different needs and aspirations of users and their
activities;
- is about sustainability and 'people friendliness';
- provides innovative solutions for energy efficiency and renewable energy
solutions;
- is the interface between architecture, town planning and related
professions and integrates transport planning, environmental improvement and
development potential;
- is a collaborative process bringing local interests and professionals
together to maximise the quality of their environment;
- provides a framework for development as part of the local plan process,
helping to create a 'vision' for local authorities, communities and
developers;
- involves professional disciplines and local interests including
architects, planners, developers, surveyors, landscape architects,
engineers, local authorities, civil servants, communities, politicians - in
fact, everyone interested in the quality of the built environment.
The underlying purpose of good design is to make areas sustainable. Present
needs should be met without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs. Sustainable management is about not only the natural
environment but also the social and economic needs of a community.
In the current Hauraki Gulf Islands Plan, controlled activity consent is
required to erect, alter or add to any building within specific high amenity
land units and policy areas. The controlled activity criteria refer to
vegetation retention, earthworks, and driveways. They also refer to the exterior
finish of buildings being complementary to the surrounding landscape (with
reference to T. Heath, Colours for Structures in the Landscape) and the
scale and form of proposed buildings being such that they are integrated with
and complementary to forms in the surrounding natural landscape. The Oneroa
policy area has specific design criteria and refers to the Design Guidelines for
Oneroa Village (the only design guidelines in the Hauraki Gulf Islands Plan).
Excluding Oneroa, the emphasis is on buildings that blend in with the
surrounding natural landscape, through integrated and complementary design and
appropriate use of colours and reflectivity. The built environment and buildings
that 'stand out' are constant issues, especially on Waiheke Island. Design
issues for the Hauraki Gulf could focus on expanding existing visual assessment
criteria for buildings in places of high visual amenity.
Auckland City Council is now focusing on design issues - both the overall
form and the detailed design of public spaces. The uses and scale of buildings,
and, importantly, how they relate to the street and the rest of the
neighbourhood, are also considered. Council has recently established the Urban
Design Panel (UDP) to provide an independent urban design peer review. The panel
plays a key role in facilitating and promoting quality urban design projects,
and high quality environments. A variant of the UDP, the design panel, reviews
some Hauraki Gulf Islands consents.
Given the focus on design issues, should design criteria have greater
emphasis in the Gulf Islands?
The Hauraki Gulf Islands Development Code (which has not yet been formally
adopted), also provides guidance on low impact development and how to achieve
good environmental outcomes that protect and enhance the special nature of the
Gulf. The foreword to this is a non-statutory document indicating that the
District Plan will be amended to state that compliance with the standards of the
Code will satisfy the performance criteria required by the Plan. This was
inserted into plan change 23, which is not yet operative. (As part of the review
it could be further investigated as to whether it is appropriate to include
references to non-statutory documents in a District Plan.)
Possible approaches
You may have a better or alternative approach to those outlined below. If so,
we would like to hear from you.
- Retain the status quo.
- Place further emphasis on design issues in the District Plan. This may be
achieved through greater reference to design issues in the controlled
activity criteria. The criteria could focus on expanding existing visual
assessment criteria for buildings in places of high visual amenity.
- Develop design guides that apply to greater areas of the Hauraki Gulf.
Design guides could focus on the residential and/or commercial areas. They
could be statutory or non-statutory documents.
- Refer to the Hauraki Gulf Islands Development Code if appropriate.
Note:
While this issue paper can be read in isolation, it is best read in
association with the issue papers relating to:
