Feedback to the Auckland Council Long Term Plan 2021-2031

Auckland Council is seeking feedback on its Long Term Plan 2021-2031 through the Have Your Say website. Submissions are due by 22 March 2021.  Remuera Heritage provides the following feedback.

https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/hub-page/10-year-budget-2021-2031

Key issues for Remuera requiring feedback are:

1.  Economic and cultural development

Arts, natural environment, sport and live performance events enrich lives of Aucklanders’ and visitors’. We promote Auckland as a place to work, invest, study and visit. We support the creation of quality jobs for all Aucklanders.

Remuera Heritage supports the restoration of the Auckland Art Gallery, the Remuera Railway Station for community use, and the reconstruction of Wilson’s Beach and Jetty in Remuera as a social and community amenity.

2.  Key issue 4: Investment in our community

This recovery budget is proposing a move away from an asset-dominated approach to community services. We (Auckland Council) propose to consider how to better use partnerships, grants, digital and non-asset based approaches more tailored to community needs.

Community investment

To answer this question please refer to pages 33-34 of the Consultation Document

We have hundreds of community assets like libraries, halls, community centres, community houses, arts venues and assets in our parks that are getting older and some are in urgent need of repair. The cost of operating, repairing or rebuilding these assets over the next 10 years could leave no money for anything new or upgraded. To maintain our current assets and upgrade or provide new assets, rates would likely need to be increased over time.

We propose a new approach for community services, such as leasing or shared facilities, that does not rely as much on us building and maintaining physical assets. This will reduce our carbon footprint and lower our costs by partnering with others to deliver services and deliver more community services online.

Over time, we propose to consolidate the number of our community facilities and services (which may result in some facilities being closed) and instead focus on multi-use facilities and online services to provide for our diverse communities.

What is your opinion on this proposal?

Remuera Heritage does not support this, especially selling libraries, community centres, parks, arts venues. This is the opposite of social investment – we need more community involvement as our population and housing density increases and becomes more diverse and public spaces and green spaces decrease. Remuera has already lost its community centre, car park building spaces, and our community amenity at Tinana Wilson’s beach is under threat. The Remuera Railway Station is also under threat (category 1/a historic heritage building) from demolition by neglect.

Support protection of our physical social community spaces.

Support reinstating the hardcopy books collections budget at Auckland libraries to replace the $1 million that was cut in 2020. E-books do not enhance community.

3.  Key issue 5: Protecting and enhancing the environment

The previous 10-year budget accelerated actions to improve our water quality and natural environment. This was funded by the Water Quality Targeted Rate and the Natural Environment Targeted Rate.

Remuera Heritage supports improving the water quality at Waitaramoa Hobson Bay / Tinana Wilson’s Beach in Remuera.

4. Tūpuna Maunga Authority Operational Plan

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority prepares an Annual Operational Plan to provide a framework in which the council will carry out the routine management of the 14 Tūpuna Maunga, under the direction of the Maunga Authority. This must be prepared and adopted concurrently with the council’s annual budget (or 10-year budget) and included in summary form. A summary of the draft Operational Plan 2021/2022 can be found in Section 4.5 of the Supporting Information or accessible on the website https://www.maunga.nz/plans-policies-and-procedures/.

ŌHINERAU / MT HOBSON CAPITAL EXPENDITURE PROGRAMME

VALUE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24

MANA AOTŪROA / CULTURAL & HERITAGE Interpretation and Wayfinding Prepare and implement network wide programme to develop comprehensive site-specific interpretation and wayfinding signage X X X $0

TAKOTORANGA / LANDSCAPE Protection and restoration of integrity of the Tūpuna Maunga Network-wide programme to remove vegetation and revegetate X X X  $0

MAURI PŪNAHA HAUROPI / ECOLOGY AND BIODIVERSITY

Traditional Cultivation Programme to establish gardens based on Matauranga Māori such as māra kai, rongoa and pā harakeke $60,000 $0 $0

MANA WHAI A RĒHIA / RECREATIONAL Ancillary visitor infrastructure Investigate development of main arrival area, carparking and toilets and implement $0 $270,000 $0

Ancillary visitor infrastructure Upgrade of wharepaku / toilets and other visitor infrastructure $0 $0 $60,000 Sports fields and Infrastructure Programme to establish facilities for Sports Programmes $ $75,000 $0

WAIRUATANGA / SPIRITUAL Kaitiaki Accommodation Upgrade of residential facility on the maunga $0 $0 $400,000

WHAI RAWA WHAKAUKA/ ECONOMIC/ COMMERCIAL Commercial Building renewal Programme to maintain commercial buildings on the maunga $450,000 $0 $0 Note: X indicates that this is part of a network-programme

Remuera Heritage supports the Operational Plan for Ohinerau Mt Hobson 

5. Ōrākei Local Board

Community Services: OPERATING SPEND 2021/2022 $11.2M; CAPITAL SPEND 2021/2022 $3.5M

Environmental Services $343,000

Planning Services $550,000

Governance $919,000

What we propose in your local board area in 2021/2022

• Implement multiple environmental programmes along the coast, in Pourewa Valley and in our community reserves.
• Advance plans to improve community access to coastal reserves, e.g. Hakumau Reserve and The Landing.
• Continue to monitor and implement measures to improve water quality in our waterways and wetlands.
• Work with our community, business and resident associations to undertake placemaking at our local centres of Ellerslie, Remuera and Ōrākei.
• Support local businesses and town centres in their recovery from the economic impacts of COVID-19.
• Improve community safety in the bays through traffic calming, CCTV and CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) implementation.
• Finalise an Ōrākei Arts Plan to guide future enhancement of art, local heritage and culture at our public facilities and places.
• Investigate and plan for continued improvement of our fields at Thomas Bloodworth Park and Shore Road East.

Key advocacy initiatives for 2021-2031

Advocate to Auckland Transport for the links to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path

The north-south links to the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path will improve road safety and reduce congestion by providing off-road access to schools and commuters, and connect multiple communities across the Pourewa Valley

Pourewa Valley enhancement

We are seeking regional funding from the 10-year budget to help restore and enhance the natural environment of Pourewa Valley as detailed in the Pourewa Valley Integrated Plan

Hobson Bay catchment wastewater/stormwater separation

We are advocating to the Governing Body to accelerate separation works for the Remuera catchment and for this project to begin following the completion of the Ōrākei/Okahu Bay separation and improve water quality at Hobson Bay.

Remuera Heritage support this programme.

Enhancement of art, local heritage and culture at our public facilities and places:

Remuera Heritage supports the highlighted proposed actions above, the restoration of Remuera Railway Station which is suffering demolition by neglect, and therefore becoming a health and safety issue.

Also support the reconstruction of Tinana Wilson’s Beach jetty for safe community use.

6.  Removing library late return fines

We are proposing to remove late return fines on library books and other items but will continue to charge lost book replacement fees and fees for rentals. Each year around 35,000 library members stop using our services because they owe us more than $10. We will lose revenue from fines of around $1.2 million per year.

You can read more on the proposed changes in Section 7.12a of the Supporting Information document.

Remuera Heritage supports the removal of library late return fines.

7.  Bledisloe House

We are proposing to grant a long-term lease of the Bledisloe House building to a developer (with conditions attached) to avoid additional cost liability, to protect heritage and achieve wider Aotea Precinct integrated outcomes. The primary alternative to this proposal is to retain the building in full council control, while we know that:

Remuera Heritage supports the selling or leasing the Bledisloe building.

COMMUNITY ISSUES FOR REMUERA

1. Tinana Wilson’s jetty has become a health and safety issue due to lack of maintenance by Auckland Council but is an important community amenity and asset. Needs to be reconstructed safely for community use.
2. Remuera Railway Station restoration for community use – is suffering from demolition by neglect
3. Waitaramoa Hobson Bay and Tinana Wilson’s Beach water quality needs improving so the community can use the beach for recreation.
4. Lack of community facilities and social investment in Remuera, ie. Remuera Community Centre was sold and two of our community assets, Remuera Railway Station and Tinana Wilson’s Jetty & Beach are unmaintained and neglected.
5. Demolition of quality single houses and replacing them with up to 19 townhouses. Have a Plan Change so that the Single House Zone and Special Character Overlay is not subject to Integrated Residential Developments (IRDs), and neighbours in the Mixed Housing Suburban Zone are notified and properly consulted on IRDs. It is not sustainable practice to demolish perfectly good houses: keep the house and subdivide the rest of the section.
6. Tupuna Maunga Authority – Residential facility on Ohinerau Mt Hobson to be improved (11 Mount Hobson Lane).
7. Remuera Library (Categories 1 and A for historic heritage buildings) windows repair (to be done March 2021).