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Plans, policies and reports
Plans, policies and reports

Hauraki Gulf Islands  review

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Issues and options papers

Oneroa


Issue
Oneroa is currently the largest commercial retail area in the Hauraki Gulf Islands, and has been identified in Essentially Waiheke as the main town centre for Waiheke Island.

It has been difficult to establish the character of Oneroa. However, recent development has allowed for better use of open space, and development of viewshafts to Oneroa Bay. For Oneroa to compete as a successful village centre, the District Plan needs to encourage vibrant development that will attract both current residents on the island and visitors to the island. To attract residents and visitors Oneroa needs to grow. To accommodate growth over the next 20 years, Oneroa township will need either to expand or to intensify. This may be achieved through increased residential growth in the town centre, so it has a resident population. Another alternative may be backpackers or visitor facility units. Recent wastewater reticulation in the area will assist growth.

To make Oneroa more attractive, better links, walkways and flow of the village down to the waterfront at Oneroa Bay could be encouraged. This might better establish a maritime and beach link, and cement Oneroa's status as a unique island village. However, most of the existing policy area is on the southern side of the ridgeline. In terms of aspect this is the coldest part of the village, with southerly winds.

The Oneroa design guidelines are currently in a non-statutory design guideline document and thus are unable to be enforced. They may need to be reviewed and more specific guidelines put in place. Such guidelines could encourage the Waiheke vernacular (architectural 'language' or style) and form a statutory appendix to the Plan.

Controls on the clearance of vegetation in the Oneroa policy area are not consistent with vegetation rules elsewhere in the Plan, which protect only native species. In addition, removal of exotics cannot be prevented. Whilst the area is expected to have higher amenity, this is generally not contributed to by exotic plant species on private land, but rather by built form, open spaces and street planting. This policy could be reviewed to determine whether there should be specific controls on vegetation removal in the policy area.

Attempts to remove service providers (for example, banks and real estate agents) from street frontages have been unsuccessful. This concept could be removed from the Plan, as there are a large number of such services that front on to Ocean View Road.

Possible approaches

You may have a better or alternative approach to those outlined below. If so, we would like to hear from you.

  • Maintain the status quo with existing rules and policy area.
  • Formalise the purpose and function of service lanes, with design guidelines addressing amenity and frontage onto the service lanes.
  • Encourage the establishment of high-intensity visitor facilities in the village centre (such as backpackers or hotels).
  • Recognise the importance of views from public places (as opposed to private property views) when providing for any changes to the height of buildings in the area.
  • Provide for art pieces (sculptures, installations) as a permitted activity on private land up to a certain size (or on public land with Council approval) to encourage vibrancy of the village.
  • Consider further mixed use development in the town centre to encourage people to live within the village, perhaps allowing apartments above ground level.
  • Remove rules relating to service providers fronting on to Ocean View Road.
  • Investigate options for altering the policy area boundaries by pushing to the west up Ocean View Road.
  • Investigate options for intensifying development within the existing policy area boundaries.
  • Move the existing policy area to the northern side of the ridge and down to the waterfront, resulting in a warmer 'feel' for the village and establishing links with the sea and beachfront.
  • Remove the policy area altogether and let growth of the township occur as the market demands.
  • Increase the amount of Land Unit 13 - Retailing in the surrounding area.
  • Create better statutory-based guidelines as an appendix to the Plan.
  • Review the activity status and necessity for all rules within the policy area where these are duplicated elsewhere, or have not been effective in achieving desired outcomes.
  • Remove the policy area rules and Land Unit 13 zoning and create a specific Oneroa Land Unit.

Note:

While this issue paper can be read in isolation, it is best read in association with the issue papers relating to: