Auckland Unitary Plan – Implications for Laingholm

From LDCA: We will be making a submission on the Draft Unitary Plan, in relation to the implications for Laingholm, and also Auckland as a whole.

This updated rulebook will replace district plans and define rules for property owners – about what can and can’t be done on your property. The plan has passed its pre-draft phase and is now in the draft stage with full public consultation in progress. Since pre-draft, the rules about fencing transparency have been removed, natural protection overlays have been simplified and overlay mapping accuracy was improved.

The final deadline for submissions is 28th of February 2014.

The draft is easy to read online with a tree menu of the sections.

This site has two other handy links:  PLANNING ENQUIRY can show all overlays and proposed rules that apply to a specific property.  MAPS opens the interactive map viewer where you can see proposed zoning and aerial photographs (use the transparency slider) of an entire area.

You can make a submission online using this form.

Collective Concerns

Pretty much all properties in Laingholm, Woodlands Park, Waima and Titirangi are zoned as “Large Lot”. The objectives of this zoning are defined under clause 2.D.1.2. There are a few specifics of concern for Large Lot zoning:

  • According to clause 3.I.1.4.3. dwellings must be set back 10m from the front of the boundary, 6m from sides and rear and 10m from the edge of any streams. Some people commented that this is not realistic for many properties in Laingholm.
  • Clause 3.I.1.4.5. limits building coverage to 10% of land area or 400m2, whichever is lesser. This is clearly designed for properties up to 1 acre, but Laingholm has a number of properties sized between 4 and 30 acres. Some of these properties have paddocks and existing large houses and would become prevented from adding a utility building like a shed.
  • Clause 3.I.1.3.1. prohibits separate secondary dwellings regardless of land size. Clause 3.I.1.3.3. permits two dwellings that are inside the same house based on various criteria.

Some readers may also have feedback regarding Genetically Modified Organisms regulations under 3.H.4.19.

Home Business Concerns

Activity Table under 3.I.1.1. shows that:

  • Offering any type of accommodation is a Non-Complying activity for Large Lot zones. Most other residential zone types have it as a Permitted, Discretionary or Restricted Discretionary activity. Activity types are defined under 3.G.1.2.
  • Healthcare Facilities are a Non-Complying activity for Large Lot zones, while it is a Restricted Discretionary activity for all other residential zone types. This is a concern for natural healthcare practitioners who are working from home in our area.

Anyone who runs a business from home or plans to do so in the future should also have a look at section 3.I.1.3.2. – these eleven rules will apply to all types of residential zones.

Individual Concerns

Significant Ecological Area (SEA) overlay aims to restrict the clearing and pruning of trees. It seems to be a replacement for Natural Area overlays in the current district plan. It is a good idea to check the maps to make sure that SEA is mapped correctly on your property. Mapping errors may include incorrectly having SEA over parts of your lawn or paddock, or not having SEA over the patch of native bush on your land that you want to see protected.

If you have any notable individual specimen trees on your property that you want to be protected, especially if they are not covered by the SEA overlay, you can ask to have these significant trees specifically marked on the plan as Notable Trees.

If you notice anything else that is worth including in our submission, let us know using the “Leave a Reply” form at the bottom of this page.

PUBLISHED ON BEHALF OF LAINGHOLM DISTRICT CITIZENS ASSOCIATION IN DEC 2013 ISSUE OF LAINGHOLM ROUNDABOUT.

3 thoughts on “Auckland Unitary Plan – Implications for Laingholm

  1. Note: our area is also subject to the Waitakere Heritage Area overlay and the rules for it are under 3.K.7.9.3. – there are duplicate restrictions on boundary offsets and dwellings per site – worth considering if our submission challenges these rules for the Large Lot zones.
    Update: we confirmed that sub-precinct rules for Titirangi/Laingholm override the Large Lot development controls with regards to boundary offsets. This means that Laingholm is subject to 3 metre boundary offsets, as opposed to 6 or 10 metres.

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  2. LDCA made its submission on the draft Unitary Plan. The submission focused on:
    – Ensuring that Large Lot development controls which were designed with 1 acre lots in mind also apply fairly to quarter acre lots and multi-acre lifestyle blocks.
    – Questioning some of the Home Occupation rules that could unnecessarily restrict our residents’ ability to work from home.
    – Finding balance between the protection of trees and the property owners’ ability to prune trees around their houses to maintain sunlight.
    – Advocating for environmental protection.

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  3. Update: some parts of the draft Unitary Plan have already become operative. For example, rules for Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs) already apply. Most of the properties in the Laingholm area have SEAs. The early introduction of these rules was based on strong feedback for environmental protection. Click here for details.

    It is now also possible to make a submission to support or object to a submission made by another person or organization. This process closes on 22nd of July. Click here for details.

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