18 November, 2021

Board says development needs 20m esplanade strip

A public esplanade strip of 20m should surround the planned development at the Bayswater Marina reclamation, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has submitted.

Council officers have advised the board that the development is a subdivision, which requires a 20m esplanade reserve under the Resource Management Act, the board submission on Bayswater Marina Holdings Limited application said.

Bayswater Marina has applied to subdivide 3.3 ha of land for 94 terraced houses and three apartment blocks, creating 127 residential dwellings.

Under the provisions of the Bayswater Marina precinct, any development would require a 15m esplanade strip. The 20m esplanade reserve would satisfy both the RMA and the precinct requirements, the board said.

“The scale, bulk and dominance of the proposed development warrants the need for the full 20 metres to provide suitable open space and public amenity.”

“The applicant’s proposal for the coastal strip is unbalanced. It is dominated by parking and vehicle access, leaving only a narrow three-metre access way for pedestrians which is suitable only as a movement corridor and not for the recreation required by the RMA.”

Other key areas in board submission included:

Open space

• The 7200sqm of parks and open space required in the development needed to be usable by all.

• The entirety of the narrow board walk “does not meet the expectations of public open space and should not be included in the 7200sqm calculation.”

Works and construction

• With the proposal to raise the level of the site by 1.5m to mitigate the effects of sea-level rise, the board is concerned about the scale and impact of the further reclamation and earthworks proposed, which could threaten nearby godwit and dotterel populations.

• The proposed 10-year consent period “entails considerable disruption to Bayswater residents, public users of the boat ramp, the general public and berth holders”, who will not have full access to the marina for a decade.

Public transport, and pedestrian and cycle safety

• Any decrease in public-transport services is rejected, and more work with Auckland Transport (AT) is needed towards provision of an integrated transport system.

• Cycle safety on the precinct’s narrow roads could be compromised without separated cycleways. Cycles have to navigate the area along with buses, boats and trailers and cars.

• Bus-turning areas need to be more carefully considered.

Ferries

• The board opposes BML’s proposal to remove ferry-passenger waiting areas. “The continued provision for a ferry terminal is a primary purpose of the Bayswater Marina precinct and must therefore be fully considered in relation to this consent application.”

Boat ramp and trailer parking

• Concerns are held that current high-quality boat launching and trailer parking will be reduced by the introduction of parallel parking too far from the boat ramp. This could compromise pedestrian safety. Turning space for trailers is also seen as too limited.

Roading, parking and safety

• Some of the visibility on newly created roads is poor “and inadequate for the separation of traffic flows”.

• More work is needed with AT to increase safety, particularly on Sir Peter Blake Dr, which council officers say is not wide enough to accommodate a bus and a vehicle with a boat trailer going in the opposite direction.”

Residential

• Concerns are held that consent would be granted on the basis of general height, bulk and footprint, without finished designs. “Council officers have confirmed that if the applicant is granted resource consent on this basis, then they would not have to go through any further resource-consent processes. “We believe the scale and dominance of this development is not in keeping with either the Coastal Marine Zone or the significant ecological area that it sits within.”

Trees

• The board wants the 35 trees scheduled for removal to remain in addition to new plantings.

Public toilets

• Public toilets and changing facilities need to be accommodated in the design or moved to a different location.

The board passed its submission unanimously.

An amendment moved by Toni van Tonder, seconded by Aidan Bennett, to support the “high-level vision” of the development was lost 4-2.

Resident expresses disappointment at ‘lack of consultation’

In Devonport-Takapuna Local Board public forum, Bayswater resident Jodi Letica said the timing of the notified consent during Covid-19 restrictions limited public meetings.

“I don’t think it would be unrealistic to expect 1000 people to attend a public meeting for this proposal.”

Letica was disappointed at developer BMLs lack of consultation with the local community or wider public “except the editorials in the Devonport Flagstaff that contained many false and misleading statements.

“They also gave the impression that the application was a fait accompli and submissions would be a waste of time.”

The proposed development “ran roughshod” over the provisions of the Auckland Unitary Plan, which said the primary purpose of the area was for a marina providing marine-related services and recreational open space.

“Residential development is a discretionary activity only.”

Pocket parks in the development were too small and parallel parking for boat trailers would make the parks harder to use and only suited to smaller boats. The 32 public and visitor car parks were inadequate.

Having “a body corporate controlling access to the public boat ramp, the private roads and boardwalks, parking for cars and boat trailers and land in and around the area is only going to be fraught with future issues and messy outcomes,” she said.

“The developer’s proposal infringes the Unitary Plan 29 times. To me that is 29 times too many.

“The primary purpose of the area needs to come first before any other development can be considered.”