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Wednesday, 23 October 2024 |
Te Hui o Te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Heretaunga
Hastings District Council: Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee
Te
Rārangi Take
Report to Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee
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Nā: From: |
Craig Scott, Environmental Planner (Policy) |
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Te Take: Subject: |
Update to the Adoption of Draft Future Development Strategy for Notification |
1.0 Purpose and Summary - Te Kaupapa Me Te Whakarāpopototanga
1.1 This Report seeks a decision from the Napier Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee (Committee) regarding a recommendation to the Partner Councils (Hastings District Council, Napier City Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council) that the draft Napier / Hastings Future Development Strategy (FDS) (attached as Attachment 1) be adopted for consultation and calling for submissions under the Special Consultative Procedure in Section 83 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA).
1.2 The draft FDS has been developed in partnership with Hastings District Council, Napier City Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Maungaharuru Tangitū Trust, Mana Ahuriri Trust and Tamatea Pōkai Whenua, with input from officers, consultants and others from various interested groups and stakeholders.
1.3 The draft FDS satisfies the statutory requirements for Future Development Strategies under the National Policy Statement for Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD).
1.4 The NPS-UD states that the purpose of an FDS is to promote long term strategic planning by setting out how the Partner Councils intend to:
· Achieve well-functioning urban environments in existing and future urban areas,
· Provide at least sufficient development capacity over the next 30 years to meet expected demand, and
· Assist with the integration of planning decisions under the Resource Management Act with infrastructure planning and funding decisions.
1.5 The FDS will replace the current Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy 2010 (HPUDS).
1.6 The Special Consultative Procedure requires Council to prepare and adopt a ‘Statement of Proposal’, (SOP) and if Council considers on reasonable grounds that it is necessary to enable public understanding of the SOP a summary of the information contained in the SOP.
1.7 The draft FDS serves as the SOP. A ‘Summary of Information’ has been prepared and is attached (as Attachment 2).
3.0 Purpose and Background
3.1 The Napier Hastings Future Development Strategy is a strategic tool to assist with the integration of planning decisions under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) with infrastructure and funding decisions. It shows:
· Where growth will be in Napier and Hastings, in existing and new urban areas over the next 30 years;
· The infrastructure needed to support and service that growth; and
· Development constraints.
3.2 The FDS has been developed in partnership with Hastings District Council, Napier City Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Maungaharuru Tangitū Trust, Mana Ahuriri Trust and Tamatea Pōkai Whenua.
3.3 The FDS satisfies the statutory requirements for future development strategies under the NPS-UD.
3.4 The NPS-UD states that the purpose of an FDS is to promote long term strategic planning by setting out how the Partner Councils intend to:
· Achieve well-functioning urban environments in existing and future urban areas;
· Provide at least sufficient development capacity over the next 30 years to meet expected demand; and
· Assist with the integration of planning decisions under the RMA with infrastructure planning and funding decisions.
Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy
3.5 HPUDS was initially developed in 2010 and adopted by the Partner Councils to manage urban growth on the Heretaunga Plains over a 30-year timeframe through to 2045. Subsequent updates and amendments to HPUDS were made in 2017.
3.6 The FDS builds on and replaces HPUDS, responding to the new requirements of the NPS-UD and other legislative direction, including the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022 (NPS-HPL).
3.7 In preparing the FDS, all unzoned future growth areas identified within HPUDS have been reconsidered to determine their appropriateness to accommodate future development.
3.8 The FDS proposes amendments to the land identified for growth over the next 30 years. The amendments include additional areas considered for development and removal of some existing growth areas from HPUDS. These amendments are detailed in Section 6 of this Report.
FDS Alignment With Other Strategies
3.9 The following chart summarises the law, and policies which influence the FDS.
4.0 Consultation and Engagement (for Draft FDS)
4.1 Development of the FDS has included engagement with mana whenua, elected officials, the community, interested landowners and developers, to inform detailed technical analysis and evaluation.
4.2 The key engagement phases have been:
· Community Engagement on the ‘Issues and Options Report’ which included the following:
‘Call for Opportunities’ inviting developers, consultants and interested parties to nominate sites for consideration.
A two-week physical ‘Shop Front’ for the community to call in and engage with staff.
Public interactive sessions.
Specific meetings with those who nominated opportunities for development.
A public questionnaire requesting feedback on the key themes and the preferred options, resulting in approximately 60 responses.
· Ongoing engagement with Mana Whenua, liaising with PSGE Groups Tamatea Pōkai Whenua, Mana Ahuriri Trust and Mangaharuru Tangitū Trust, and discussions with Hāpu and organisations. The additional discussions with Mana Ahuriri Trust in relation its site specific concerns are outlined in paragraphs [6.8]-[6.16] below.
· Engagement with infrastructure providers and Government organisations to test the spatial scenarios and supporting analysis. This group included the New Zealand Transport Agency, the Ministry of Education, Kāinga Ora, Transpower, Unison, Hawke’s Bay Airport, Port of Napier, and Ministry for the Environment.
4.3 A summary of community engagement feedback is attached as Attachment 3.
5.0 Vision and Objectives
5.1 The Committee at its Committee Meeting, held on 11 July 2023 resolved;
That the Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee receive the Draft report titled Consideration of Objectives and 'Issues and Options' for the Future Development Strategy dated 11 July 2023 incorporating the feedback received at the meeting.
That a joint report be taken to the three individual councils and Te Kāhui Ōhanga o Takitimu to seek endorsement on the Draft Issues and Options report incorporating the vision and objectives and the engagement policy.
That the Committee endorses the proposed community engagement process including consultation with Marae and hapū groups.
5.2 The FDS Vision and Objectives adopted by the Committee were included within the FDS Issues and Options paper, which was used for public engagement through the September – November period in 2023.
5.3 The overarching Vision to guide the development of the FDS is:
In 2054, Napier and Hastings have thriving, resilient, safe, equitable, sustainable, and connected communities, within a protected and enhanced natural environment.
5.4 The Strategic Objectives set out below describe what the FDS is seeking to achieve to ensure the Vision is realised. These objectives will underpin future implementation and monitoring of the FDS.
· Mana whenua and Councils work in a genuine Te Tiriti partnership to achieve their shared goals for urban development.
· We have a compact urban form, focussed around consolidated and intensified urban centres in Napier and Hastings.
· Our communities and infrastructure are resilient to the effects of climate change and risks from natural hazards.
· We have a diverse range of housing choices that meet people’s needs in neighbourhoods that are safe and healthy.
· We have a strong economy, and businesses can grow in locations that meet their functional needs.
· The highly productive land of the Heretaunga Plains is protected for productive uses.
· Our communities and business areas are well connected and accessible, particularly by public and active transport.
· We have sufficient land for housing and business to meet demand.
· Te Taiao / our natural environment is protected and enhanced, including our water bodies, indigenous biodiversity, and outstanding landscapes.
· Our infrastructure is planned and designed to efficiently support development.
· Urban growth and infrastructure investment supports equitable social outcomes.
Note the following additional ‘Objective’ has been proposed by Tamatea Pōkai Whenua
· “The values and aspirations of mana whenua for development are a priority and are recognised and supported”.
5.5 The additional Objective as requested by Tamatea Pōkai Whenua was not included in the Committees decision on 11 July 2023. It is included as a Recommendation in this Report so the Committee can consider adding the Objective to the draft FDS.
5.6 A statement of Iwi and Hapū Values and Aspirations is included in the FDS. This statement provides details of the growth opportunities and protections of whenua desired by Mana Whenua of the Napier and Hastings Area.
5.7 There has also been additional consideration of redress land with regards to Ahuriri Station, the details of this are discussed from Section 6.7 to 6.13 of this report.
5.8 A strong theme coming from public engagement and the Committee, was the need to have intensification of development to help avoid development of hazard prone areas, protect productive soils, and generally encourage development in appropriate locations.
5.9 An objective of the FDS is to promote a compact urban form. The FDS aims to ensure that 60% of residential growth is through intensification by 2054 and encourages higher levels of intensification if achievable.
5.10 To encourage intensification, new greenfield areas in the FDS are limited and should be considered secondary to development within existing urban limits.
6.0 Site Analysis
6.1 Over 70 potential future development areas have been assessed and ranked for suitability for future development.
6.2 Analysis was undertaken through a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA). The MCA ranked and assessed each development area in terms of a range of criteria, namely;
· Natural Hazards/Climate Change
· Māori Cultural values
· Mana Whenua development aspirations
· Accessibility
· Biodiversity
· Te Mana o te Wai
· Infrastructure (3 Waters)
· Infrastructure (Transport)
· Infrastructure (Other)
· Outstanding Landscapes
· Health & Wellbeing
· Housing suitability (Site size/topography)
· Housing suitability (Location)
· Business Suitability (Topography)
· Business Suitability (Scale & Location)
· Reverse Sensitivity
6.3 Officers and Consultants have prepared a Technical Report which provides a detailed overview of the policy background, research methods, and analysis undertaken to prepare the draft FDS.
It considers the statutory requirements underpinning the FDS and other relevant documents and strategies that can inform decision making regards housing and business growth.
The site assessment process is a major component of the Technical Report. Site constraints and opportunities inform the MCA of sites for the development of the wider spatial scenarios considered for the FDS. The Technical Report goes on to outline how the refinement of the spatial scenarios was undertaken to arrive at the preferred spatial scenario for the draft FDS. The Technical Report is attached as Attachment 4.
6.4 New residential areas included in the FDS are listed as follows:
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Site Ref |
Site Name / Location |
Approx. Capacity |
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NC4a |
Riverbend Road / Willowbank Avenue, Napier |
290 dwellings |
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NC4b |
Riverbend Road, Napier |
660 dwellings |
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NC4d |
South Pirimai, Ulyatt Road, Napier |
370 dwellings |
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NC6 |
Mission Estate [lower], Church Road, Napier |
100 dwellings |
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H2a |
Lyndhurst Road, Hastings |
280 dwellings |
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H3 |
Kaiapoi Road, Hastings |
430 dwellings |
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H4 |
Murdoch Road, Hastings |
120 dwellings |
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H8 |
Copeland Road, Hastings |
130 dwellings |
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FM2 |
Portsmouth Road, Flaxmere |
330 dwellings |
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HN2b |
Arataki Road Extension, Havelock North |
110 dwellings |
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HN3a |
Middle Road, Havelock North |
220 dwellings |
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HN3b |
Middle Road Extension, Havelock North |
420 dwellings |
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HN6 |
Brookvale Road, Havelock North |
125 dwellings |
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HN10 |
Oderings Site, Havelock North |
35 dwellings |
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Total |
3,620 dwellings |
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6.5 The following areas within HPUDS are not included in the FDS.
· Wall Rd
· Riverslea Road
· Bay View
· The coastal settlement and industrial expansion options that were identified in HPUDS as a circled area of land, rather than defined sites, have been removed.
6.6 Regarding Business Land, unzoned land which has been included for future development relates to approximately 100 hectares to the West of the existing Industrial Zone at Irongate. The Draft FDS also identifies Ahuriri Station as Redress Land, where Mana Ahuriri Trust has aspirations to establish an ecologically sustainable business park. No specific additional Commercial land has been identified in the FDS. Approximately 50 ha at Tomoana identified in HPUDS is not included based on its soil productivity.
Ahuriri Station
6.7 Mana Ahuriri Trust proposed through the “Call for Opportunities Process” that the Ahuriri Station area be included within the FDS.
6.8 The Ahuriri Station area encompasses the existing Pāmu land, adjacent to Hawke’s Bay Airport and south of Onehunga Road. Ahuriri Station is available to Mana Ahuriri Trust to purchase as part of the Treaty settlement reached and entered between Ahuriri Hapū and the Crown. The ability to purchase Ahuriri Station is intended to provide Ahuriri Hapū with economic redress.
6.9 Mana Ahuriri Trust has advised that they intend to purchase and redevelop the site into an ecologically sensitive freight, logistics and industrial hub, and for a range of other activities (including residential). The development has recently been included as a project in Schedule 2 of the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The project is described as follows:
“The project will develop an integrated resilient Green Communities commercial and industrial business park (circa 380 hectares), 1,000 plus houses as an extension to Bayview, the creation of ecological parks, and the preservation and enhancement of key cultural landmarks and features, connected to the regional airport, port and state highway and rail corridor.”
6.10 The Fast Track Approvals Bill is intended to pass into law by the end of 2024. The final form of this legislation has not been confirmed although it has been signalled that resource consent application(s) will be considered by an independent hearings panel.
6.11 Several constraints to redevelopment of
the Ahuriri Station site have
been identified by Council’s officers and consultants. including constraints relating to
natural hazards, ground conditions and wetlands / significant ecological areas.
There are also potential constraints related to infrastructure capacity and the
state highway network Significant
engineering works would be required to reduce potential or currently modelled
natural hazard risks and maintain important environmental values to an
acceptable level to enable a sustainable and resilient development both now and
into the future.
6.12 Following further discussions with Mana Ahuriri Trust, it is recommended the draft FDS identifies Ahuriri Station as Redress Land, which reflects its status under the Trust’s Treaty Settlement. Supporting text is included in the draft FDS to explain what this means and is included as attachment 5 to this supplementary report. This text has been developed collaboratively with Mana Ahuriri Trust and officers recommend it is included in the Draft FDS.
6.13 The draft FDS states that Councils will work collaboratively with Mana Ahuriri Trust to advance development processes for Ahuriri Station that provide for Ahuriri Hapū economic, cultural and social well-being.
Site Analysis Conclusion
6.14 The FDS builds upon the intensification objectives of HPUDS and includes a further objective of achieving well-functioning urban environments. This seeks to ensure growth and intensification based on evidence is occurring in the right places where infrastructure is accessible and affordable.
6.15 Additional areas identified for growth outside of existing areas have been through multiple levels of assessment, taking into account the vision and objectives of the strategy. They are recommended for inclusion through a variety of reasons. Submissions can be made during the Special Consultative Process regardless of whether the site of interest is in the draft FDS or not.
7.0 Special Consultative Procedure
7.2 The standard requirements and expectations of the LGA, including Consultation Principles under Section 82 apply to the FDS process. This includes the requirement to adopt a process that is procedurally fair and in accord with principals of ‘natural justice’ - namely people have a right to be heard and have their views/submissions considered impartially with an ‘open mind’.
7.3 The Council must prepare and adopt a description of the proposed decision or course of action. This is referred to as the ‘Statement of Proposal’. If Council considers it necessary to enable public understanding, the Council must also prepare and adopt a ‘Summary of Information’ contained in the ‘Statement of Proposal.
7.4 Council must make the ‘Statement of Proposal’ and ‘Summary of Information’ as widely available to the public as is reasonably practicable. Council must also make available a description of how and when interested persons can present their views on the proposal. The submission period must be at least one month from the date the Statement of Proposal is issued.
7.5 The draft FDS is the ‘Statement of Proposal’ the Partner Council’s will be consulting on. The draft FDS and ‘Summary of Information’ are attached (as Attachments one and two).
8.0 Government Announcements Which May Have Consequences for the FDS
8.1 Officers initial assessment of recent Government announcements indicate there are three areas which could significantly influence our future growth and possibly conflict with outcomes sought in the draft FDS.
1. The potential removal of LUC 3 land from the NPS-HPL
The ‘Land Use Capability’ - LUC Class is an assessment of the land's capability for use, while allowing for its physical limitations, and its versatility for sustained production. There are eight classes with limitations to land use increasing, and versatility for land use decreasing, from LUC Class 1 to LUC Class 8. LUC 1, 2 or 3 is considered as highly productive land for the purpose of the NPS-HPL.
2. The addition of new development areas through the Fast-Track Approvals Bill
The purpose of the Fast-track Approvals Bill is to provide a streamlined decision-making process to facilitate the delivery of infrastructure and development projects with significant regional or national benefits.
3. The Going for Housing Growth Policy
The Policy is about enabling more homes to be built. It is structured around three pillars that make system changes to address the underlying causes of the housing supply shortage. These are;
· Freeing up land for urban development, including removing unnecessary planning barriers,
· Improving infrastructure funding and financing to support urban growth,
· Providing incentives for communities and councils to support growth.
These three pillars have an objective of improving housing affordability by significantly increasing the supply of developable land for housing, both inside and at the edge of urban areas.
8.2 These changes are going through various stages of consultation at a national level. Only the Fast-Track Process has been legislated in terms of a Bill. Officers anticipate amendments to the legislation prior to final release.
8.3 The removal of LUC 3 land from the NPS-HPL has been signalled for some time, but no amendments to the NPS -HPL have been proposed. Analysis of sites for the FDS, included an assessment of the LUC of the soils. Napier and particularly Hastings urban areas are surrounded by highly productive land. The MCA investigated how productive our LUC3 (and to a lesser extent LUC 2) land was when compared to other areas especially when the area rated well against other MCA. This has resulted in the recommendation of some LUC3 and LUC2 land being included in the draft FDS. Officers are comfortable that any changes to the NPS-HPL will have minimal impacts on the draft FDS.
8.4 The Fast-Track Approvals Bill provides for the establishment of a permanent fast-track approvals regime for projects of national and regional significance. As noted above, Ahuriri Station has been included in Schedule 2 of the Fast Track Approvals Bill. This could include the development of land outside of areas identified in the FDS. Officers recommend the ‘best position to be in’ to prevent the need for fast tracking of ‘out of sequence’ land is to have an FDS that adequately provides for growth demands in sensible locations. It is considered the draft FDS achieves this.
8.5 The ‘Going for Growth Housing Policy’ was announced on the 4th July 2024. It proposes significant amendments to how Tier 1 and 2 Councils provide for growth. This policy is early in its development and has not yet been through any formal process. This may take place in early 2025 with the changes proposed to be included in the NPS-UD by mid-2025. The Policy may differ from the current proposal. Officers recommend not trying to anticipate future changes through this FDS. Any actual Policy changes are more likely to come into effect at the time of the review of the FDS in 3 years.
Potential changes relevant to the FDS could include;
· New Housing Growth Targets introduced for Tier 1 and 2 councils, requiring them to enable 30 years of feasible housing capacity in their District Plans.
· Using ‘high’ population growth projections.
· Government investigating options to require councils to plan for 50 years of growth (up from 30) and be more responsive to private plan changes.
8.6 The first bullet point should make no material difference to the FDS, as it is required to identify areas for 30 years of growth. The challenge will be how this is implemented through District Plans and Structure Plans where that land is to be ‘lived zoned’, particularly in terms of greenfield intensification targets and around the cost of servicing land where there may not be immediate demand.
8.7 The FDS utilises the Medium-High growth projections in its analysis. The utilisation of high growth projections could add 2000 more greenfield dwellings and 2300 more intensification dwellings. Achieving additional intensification could be difficult if there is limited demand and excess greenfield supply. Officers recommend the existing FDS projections are robust and should be retained at this stage.
8.8 The FDS provides some commentary regards land that could be considered for growth beyond the 30-year horizon of this strategy, particularly around the provision of business land where some provision is made for additional growth beyond current demand projections. The basis of the strategy was generally limited to the next 30 years and additional work would be required around population projections to fully understand the 50-year growth horizon. There is no capacity to consider this prior to the release of the draft FDS.
9.0 Consultation Plan
9.1 The Consultation Plan is attached as Attachment 5.
9.2 Key components of the consultation plan are:
· Following the Joint Committee Meeting:
Notify landowners and surrounding landowners of sites included in the draft FDS
Notify landowners of sites identified within HPUDS who are not included as future growth areas in the draft FDS
Notify ‘Call for Opportunity’ submitters on the draft FDS.
· Following the Partner Councils approval of the draft FDS to be released for consultation (November):
Draft FDS and supporting documents on FDS website
Notification of draft FDS under Special Consultative Procedure
4 week submission period from 25th November
Direct notification to key stakeholder list
Newspaper/Facebook/Website advertising
Officer Meetings on request
· Hearings Mid-March 2025 (dates To Be Confirmed)
· Consideration of options and recommendations of Joint Committee in June 2025
· Final approval of FDS by Partner Councils in July 2025
10.0 Options – Ngā Kōwhiringa
Option One - Recommended Option - Te Kōwhiringa Tuatahi – Te Kōwhiringa Tūtohunga
10.1 Recommend the Adoption and Notification of the Draft Future Development Strategy to the Partner Councils
Advantages
· It is a collaborative document between mana whenua and the Partner Councils.
· It has been drafted with considerable input from the community, mana whenua partners and key stakeholders.
· It will provide increased certainty for the future planned growth of the Napier/Hastings urban environment, and assist to identify other opportunities for future growth in the longer-term.
Disadvantages
· No disadvantages are noted.
Option Two
10.2 Recommend that the Draft Future development Strategy not be recommended for adoption by the Partner Councils
Advantages
· No advantages are noted.
Disadvantages
· The Partner Council’s will fail to meet their obligations under the National Policy Statement – Urban Development 2020 to produce a Future Development Strategy
· It will result in uncertainty for the future planned growth of the Napier/Hastings urban environment.
· There is considerable community expectation around the delivery of the Draft FDS.
· If the FDS was not to proceed a review of the HPUDS would be required.
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1 |
Napier Hastings FDS - Final Draft (Attachment 1) |
CG-17-27-00027 |
Attachments of Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee - Monday, 22 July 2024 |
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2 |
Napier Hastings FDS - Summary of Information - (Attachment 2) |
CG-17-27-00028 |
Attachments of Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee - Monday, 22 July 2024 |
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3 |
Napier Hastings FDS Community Engagement Write up (Attachment 3) |
CG-17-27-00025 |
Attachments of Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee - Monday, 22 July 2024 |
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4 |
Napier Hastings FDS - Technical Report - Final Compiled (Attachment 4) |
CG-17-27-00033 |
Report Plans of Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy Joint Committee - Monday, 22 July 2024 |
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5 |
Attachment 5 - FDS Strategy_Strategy Map_MATv4(2) |
CG-17-27-00056 |
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⇩5 |
Attachment 5 - Further Response to MAT 15 Oct 24(2) |
CG-17-27-00055 |
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