District Plan - Hauraki Gulf Islands section

District plan review

Note from Great Barrier Island workshop

1. Economic

Cottage industries or commercial activities

Minimum site size

Ad-hoc development could lead to unstructured island

Change in agricultural use

Other than farming/grazing
Vineyards/orchards

Manufacturing

Low-key activities - small size
Need to consider noise, pollution
Avoid adverse visual effects - such as the telecom building
Need to allow for home occupations, food production and cottage industries

Need to consider the social and economic wellbeing under the RMA.
Farming has become too costly
Costs of consents are too high.
Decrease compliance/consent costs by providing for the right activities in the right places.
Land Units 3 & 5 should be combined and allow for orcharding and market gardening.
Why couldn't subdivision sizes for Land Units 5-10 be brought down to 3.5ha and LU 3 increased?
Demand on housing from people wanting to retire out to Great Barrier.
Land for horticulture can't be subdivided.
Appears to be equal demand for small sites from both on island and off island owners.
Wharves should be available to all commercial users. No subsidies for Fitzroy wharf?? Could ACC buy?
Reduce reserve contributions; 70 per cent public land anyway.
Could abolish reserve contributions.
Island needs growth.

2. Social

Recognition of Barrier people and distinguish from Waiheke.
Need to talk to individual owners about subdivision
Need flexibility in the plan to reflect the uniqueness
Need a separate section for GBI
Need to consider the social and economic wellbeing under the RMA.
Need to be sure that we are conscious of future generations.
Note that the meeting has been attended by people that are 50+ reflecting interest and demographic of the island.
The population is ageing, need to get the young back again.
Island needs growth.

3. Environmental

Great Barrier Island is different

70 per cent DoC owned
Some standards are more lenient on Great Barrier
Rules for Waiheke not applicable to Great Barrier

Residential - awareness of overloading septic systems
New activities - could controlled by parameters (effects based)
Need to remain flexible - treat on merits

New animals

Alpacas
Mustn't be able to go into the wild
Consent process needed
Dogs/cats need to be controlled to protect wildlife

Vegetation clearance

Areas that have been farmed are now kanuka/manuka
6m high kanuka not suitable for cooking
15-20m high kanuka needed for firewood
Prior to 1995 ¼ acre clearance per year was allowed.
Kanuka blocks vistas
Allow for selective felling of tea tree
Farmers need to be able to keep cleared land as of right.
Selective clearing can provide light wells in canopy, enabling secondary
regeneration.
Calculate/quantify amount of wood required and allow that much to be felled.
Approximately 8m3 per family per year.
A supply of firewood is needed for cooking.
Trees also need clearing to allow for firehazards.
Need to have the ability to clear trees to improve the sight lines on road corners.

Access

Standards are too high
Need reasonable access
Station Rock Road - engineering, planning considerations. Could be 4WD only.

Utilities should avoid noisy generators - use renewable energy such as solar.
Need to allow for quarrying.

Land Units

These change over time...some Land Unit 5 becomes Land Unit 8
Need to be accurate
Too inflexible - subdivision and vegetation removal
Consents are costly
Difference between what you can do in the LUs
Need to have rules that allow for the use of land in a productive way

Why are earthworks controls on GBI more restrictive? They should be the same.
Why couldn't subdivision sizes for Land Units 5-10 be brought down to 3.5ha and LU 3 increased?
Lot coverage allowance is not reflected in the size of the lot.
Forest loop road (DOC) should be opened to the public.
All paper roads should be designated road reserves.
Number of houses allowed on a site is an issue. Multiple dwellings should be allowed.
Noise from generators is an issue.
Could have requirement for generator noise insulation to be installed prior to issue of 224(c).
Consideration should be given of building platforms and landscape as part of subdivision.

Airfields

There should be no limits on the number of aircraft movements.
Airfields should be designated.
Should be written into subdivision that residents have to accept noise (reverse sensitivity).
Ensure designation and recognition of both airfields.
Airports need to be maintained
Could use Mabey greywacke for maintenance of the Okiwi airfield.
Should provide for night landings and lights.
There is a large extra cost for northern residents for buses/taxis/shuttles to Claris.
Okiwi is essential, flooding at Awana can cut off the north.

Wastewater

Systems should be easy to have two systems, one for greywater and one for foulwater.
Shouldn't have to rely on electrical systems. Cost for current systems is $40,000.
Example of a tourist lodge in Golden Bay that has entirely composting toilets.
ACC should ask ARC to be able to provide for dual systems as a permitted activity.
The are advanced composting toilets that use air-drying.
Sludge - could also allow for a sewerage treatment plant for people, ACC and DoC.

Need to allow for a range of sewerage disposal systems

Composting toilets
Septic tanks
Individual responsibility

Subdivision

Reduce reserve contributions; 70 percent public land anyway
Could abolish reserve contributions.
Should be no subdivision minimum standards.
Policy area subdivision sizes should be 1.33
Island needs growth.

Rules went from too loose to too hard. Need a balanced reasonable approach.
Bush residential could be introduced - minimum site size of 2000m2

Drivers for subdivision

Low cost housing
Smaller sizes would be more affordable.
Need to talk to landowners
Lots need to be bigger than urban but smaller than rural
For smaller subdivisions, could have wider width and less depth to separate neighbours

Landscape

Ridgeline need to provide for communication masts and other similar structures.
Bush hides structures on ridgelines which is different from Waiheke
Reflectivity/glare from window, roofing and windmills.
Windpower and utilities need some control
Need to enable commonsense.
Height of buildings...requiring consent to match the height on an existing building.
It is important for stream protection to retain bush to maintain water quality.

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