Growth – Challenges for growth planning

As I indicated in the last article, 2026 is going to be a really challenging year for the Warkworth-Mahurangi community to achieve the form of growth it deems most appropriate.

The biggest threat is the direction that would be imposed by Plan Change 120. The requirement for more intensification in Auckland City needs to be clarified as to how this would apply to the Warkworth urban and future urban zones. Given that no further changes can be made by Council to the current Auckland Unitary Plan once PC120 becomes operative, it is imperative that the community makes strong submissions to oppose any further inappropriate increases in density around the centre and outlying areas, especially without proper infrastructure planning.

The Mahurangi Community Planning Group (MCPG) made such submissions before Christmas within the very limited time frame provided. These emphasised that Warkworth should not be designated as a satellite town to be subject to the higher density requirements applied to urban centres; any planned growth should have a coordinated plan for utilities and roading, which does not exist, and that there is poor transport and service management. There is no council local spatial plan analysis for the Warkworth district. Such a plan should be a local community led plan. The existing lower density zoning should be retained to ensure the character of the district is maintained.

Once PC120 goes through, it will mean that further development will occur with the private plan changes that are active and in the pipeline. There is no planned coordination for such development and the provision of the necessary infrastructure.

MCPG is pushing hard to get funding for plans to be prepared with consultant input to ensure that such plans are community led. It had a good meeting with the new Rodney Local Board to get their support and will continue to promote Council/Board funding support.

Another major issue is the impending Resource Management Reform Bill, which emphasises standardisation of plans and development standards. It does not enable sufficient opportunities for community involvement in determining what is more appropriate in the Warkworth area. It does propose the use of (local) spatial plans. Council has only prepared high-level spatial plans and not in all relevant detail These are to be comprehensively designed to cover all aspects of development – identifying constraints, development opportunities, infrastructure needs and future urban area growth options. This is planning 101.

Again, there is limited time to make submissions on this, with the consultation period closing in mid-February. MCPG will make the appropriate submission highlighting issues of principle and likely effects on Warkworth’s future. These will be reported in the next article.

Plan Change 120 is Auckland Council’s significant update to its Unitary Plan, focusing on enabling more housing intensification near transport hubs and centres while strengthening rules for development in hazard-prone areas. It will replace Plan Change 78 with a more targeted, risk-aware approach to meet housing demand and government directives for growth and resilience. It allows taller buildings and more density around train stations and bus routes, but imposes stricter controls in floodplains and coastal areas.