Growth – What is a real plan?

It’s time again for real plans for Warkworth – Mahurangi. A plan is not just a regulatory rule like zoning – it is an instrument that brings the ‘how, what, when, where and why’ of development together. The community needs to ensure that growth is properly controlled and catered for. Community-based real plans help guide the many decisions that must be made every day as communities grow.

I trained as a planner in the UK and developed spatial plans that guided development. This UK concept is very different to what we have experienced in Auckland and throughout NZ. The Resource Management Act (RMA) never provided direction for spatial planning. Even though structure plans have been produced over the years, they are insufficiently detailed (or broad) to clearly indicate what the local (and surrounding) physical environment would look like (or why).

I have always considered that more detailed plans have to be developed, defined as local plans, that have a strong three-dimensional urban and rural design content. Growth requires such plans take into account all aspects, such as transport and water infrastructure, community assets, facilities and services (schools, health, sports, reserves), business, industries and work, as well as the form and type of housing.

Such a process was undertaken at Manukau City in the late 1970s when the council planning team prepared an overall structure plan (taking into account the land form and resources), and then more detailed plan changes to urbanise the future urban zones in line with their sequencing. These were prepared following considerable consultation with key landowners, the regional council (responsible for major utilities and roading), the education board for new schools, and the relevant council departments (parks, engineering). The plan changes were notified and went through the full approval process, including some appeals to the court.

This is the kind of process that we should be adopting now. This will require getting more experienced planning staff involved. The present system cannot continue.

Our community is unhappy with the outcomes from the current system of developer and landowner-driven growth, with no matching council infrastructure and support. That is why the Mahurangi Community Planning Group is so determined to set a process up that gets everyone involved in decisions that affect their lives and quiet enjoyment of the area.

Its first step is to pilot a “better way” to create a Warkworth Town Centre plan that has the backing of the business community, residents and community groups. This will need a visual representation so people can relate to what changes.

It is essential that the new Rodney Local Board supports this process and promotes it strongly to the council as part of its local board plan. Ultimately, as the Mayor has said before – “locals know local”.