Auckland Council has announced the settlement of appeals relating to the provisions of the Auckland Unitary Plan for the Weiti Precinct, north of Long Bay.
Under the settlement, developer Weiti Development LP will withdraw its appeals on the unitary plan decisions. This leaves in place the provisions of the unitary plan to develop 550 residential lots plus commercial space at Weiti Precinct - the levels existing prior to introduction of the plan.
A model to understand the effects of development
Late last year Auckland Council started to develop a comprehensive whole-of-catchment model to enable the council and the public to understand the effects of development in all catchments feeding into the Long Bay - Okura Marine Reserve.
The catchments surveyed will extend from the upper parts of the Weiti River to the south end of Long Bay. The model will include a comprehensive assessment of current and permitted land uses and the sediment and contaminant loads generated by those uses. Auckland Council is keen to involve interested parties in this modelling project.
As well as assisting in future land use planning of the whole catchment feeding into the Marine Reserve, the model (and Auckland Council’s holistic approach to planning) will provide an exemplar for other catchments in Auckland with similar issues.
Weiti Development LP agreed last year that future development proposals would be assessed using the proposed model and the accompanying land use and scientific data.
Full public participation in future development
Weiti Development LP and Auckland Council have agreed that any changes in the level of development at the Weiti Precinct should be determined through a private plan change process with full public participation and scrutiny.
The above processes are based on plans to keep more than 700 hectares – over 75 per cent of the Weiti Precinct - as open, green space.
