Auckland Council seems to have been in planning mode since the inception of the Super City. The latest is the draft Unitary Plan. There has ben a strong media focus on the residential response to intensification, and this reflects the ‘residential focus’ of the Plan. We are concerned that weight will be given to residential issues during the feedback process.
Our concern is that without adequate planning provision for light and heavy industrial businesses, Auckland won’t be able to support the employment needs of its future population or efficiently distribute goods/services to provide for their needs.
Some 70 business and property owners attended our Unitary Plan Forum and raised issues including the scarcity of industrial land, subdivision sizes needing to allow for smaller lot sizes, unduly restrictive air quality overlays and electricity transmission buffer corridors, and the lack of integration of transport and land use.
We hired consultant lawyer Grant Hewison (in collaboration with five other commercial industrial associations), to undertake a full analysis and prepare a feedback document to ensure that the voice of industrial areas is heard. You can find a copy under GETBA Submissions in the Advocacy section.
We at GETBA are also in planning mode, reviewing the current Strategic Plan and developing the new Strategic Plan for the next five years. We’re very grateful to those business and property owners who have contributed to our strategic planning process in the online survey, focus groups or on-on-one meetings with our consultants. We look forward to sharing the results with you.
Richard Poole