Hauraki Gulf Islands review
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Issues and options papers
Residential Land Unit - Great Barrier Island
Issue
The primary areas of existing residential development on Great Barrier Island
are located at Tryphena, Medlands and Claris-Kaitoke. The Tryphena and Medlands
residential areas each have Strategic Management Areas (SMAs) and policy areas
overlaying the land unit classifications. Land Units 3, 5 and 8 are applied to
the majority of sites within these areas.
There is other residential development at Okupu, Whangaparapara, Port Fitzroy
and Okiwi. Land units 5 and 8 are applied to most sites in these areas. There is
also a policy area overlaying the land unit classifications at Port Fitzroy.
The issues around the need for a residential land unit can be assessed in two
parts; the need to provide more land for residential development and the need to
provide better District Plan provisions for existing residential development.
More land for residential development
Great Barrier is not a 'growth area' and has a declining population.
Therefore, it would seem that there is no pressing demand for more land for
residential development. The exception to this may be the increasing number of
"off islanders" purchasing land for holiday homes, which may mean that
there is a demand for more land for residential development around holiday home
areas such as Medlands.
Better District Plan provisions for existing residential development
Since residential land use is a permitted activity the issue is around the
development controls associated with residential development and not the
provision for residential activity per se.
The development controls in some land units are not well suited to the form
and density of much residential development. For example, the lot coverage
control of 500m2 in Land Unit 8 - Regenerating Slopes does not seem to be the
most appropriate given that the average lot size is around 800m2 (that is, 62
per cent coverage).
The requirement for controlled activity consents in the policy area for all
earthworks and vegetation clearance would seem to add little value, particularly
if the permitted standards for earthworks and vegetation clearance have already
been meet.
There are a number of layers of control on some residential areas - land unit
rules, policy areas, SMAs and sites of ecological significance/sensitive areas.
Are all layers necessary?
The requirement for controlled activity consents for buildings in the policy
areas may be of some value, but consideration should be given as to whether a
restricted discretionary consent could be required instead; and to providing
better assessment criteria.
While there are different areas defined within policy areas, the same general
controlled activity rules and criteria apply equally within all of the areas. It
may be appropriate to incorporate some more specific controls in some areas or
to exclude some areas to achieve a more targeted set of controls.
If a 'residential land unit' were introduced into the existing residential
areas it would be introduced on a 'cadastral' basis rather than a 'landform'
basis. Therefore, there would be issues as to how the land unit would integrate
with surrounding land units.
A 'residential land unit' is an activity-based land unit. There may be issues
with introducing one activity-based land unit without others, for example
commercial or industrial land units. Would there be implications for rates if
land was classified residential?
Policy areas do not apply to all residential development areas, so policy
areas may or may not be appropriate.
If Land Unit 12 - Bush Residential was introduced to Great Barrier Island,
consideration would need to be given to whether the development controls in Land
Unit 12 are appropriate for the form and density of development on Great
Barrier.
Possible approaches
You may have a better or alternative approach to those outlined below. If so,
we would like to hear from you.
More land for residential development
An assessment of the areas where more residential development may be
appropriate from a visual perspective has previously been undertaken. It
identified some limited areas around Okiwi, Claris and Tryphena.
Better District Plan provisions for existing residential development
- Retain status quo with land units, policy areas and SMAs.
- Introduce a residential land unit. This could be Land Unit 12 (as applied
to Waiheke Island) or a land unit specifically prepared for the form and
density of residential development on Great Barrier Island. It may or may
not be overlaid by a policy area.
- Modify policy area provisions so they are more specific and targeted. They
could also be modified so that they no longer overlie the land unit
provisions but rather become a land unit themselves, with specific
development controls for residential (and possibly commercial) development
within the policy area.
- Modify land unit provisions to better reflect the form and density of
residential development on Great Barrier Island.
- Modify both land unit and policy area provisions - a combination of the
above.
Note:
While this issue paper can be read in isolation, it is best read in
association with the issue papers relating to:
