Protection of rural land comes into play

A proposed additional dwelling in Omaha Valley Road and a 32-hectare subdivision in Waiuku are among the first plan change requests in Auckland to be rejected under the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL).

The policy, which came into force late last year, looks to restrict urbanisation and development on fertile land.

Auckland Council senior policy planner Ryan Bradley told a Rural Advisory Panel meeting on June 23 that about 75 per cent of Auckland’s highly productive land had not been urbanised or rezoned.

“The whole point is that we don’t want to see our best farm land used for houses – the burden of proof is now high [to rezone] highly productive land,” Bradley said.

Currently, council is using transitional maps of highly productive land but is required to update maps of the land over the next three years.

Bradley said that at Waiuku, developers wanted to rezone 32 hectares of the O’Hara Farm for 700 houses, but because 91 per cent was highly productive land, the rezoning was rejected.

He said the developer had not taken the NPS-HPL into account and rezoning was declined solely on the basis of the policy.

Member Alan Cole asked if zoning for countryside living on highly productive land could be rolled back.

Bradley said that it was possible but that council’s current direction under the policy was not to take a retrospective approach.

“Around 25 per cent of land has already been rezoned and it would be very difficult to roll it back. That is not to say it could not happen, but that sort of decision would have to come from council.”

Member Andrew McKenzie said farmers needed to intensify their farms in order to make a profit.

“Who is going to be able to farm this prime land? It’s too expensive,” McKenzie said.

He said sheep and beef farming was surviving through subdividing the land and this policy put a stop to that.

“It is becoming harder and harder to make a living.”

He said the policy also restricted the countryside living zone, which acted as a buffer between farmers and urban areas.

Member Geoff Smith had similar concerns, asking whether he would be able to subdivide a piece of land for his son to build a house, if he retained the productivity of the land.

Bradley said that it would be unlikely under the policy.