Pine Harbour Development and lessons it could teach us

Pine Harbour, a beautiful serene area nested within Beachlands (East Auckland) has its future currently being fought out in the environment court.

Source: Pohutukawa coast, 2011
Views from Pine Harbour

The Eastern Courier reported early this week that the Pohutukawa Coast Community Association is furious with Pine Harbour Holdings' planned development as it would damage the streetscape and unique environment that locals love.

According to Eastern Courier Pine Harbour Holdings’ development will include:

• ·      Develop 11.58 hectares of land surrounding the marina into residential land use.
• ·      Apartments 2 to 5 storeys high are the chosen and dominant typology and will house would 1000 people.
• ·      Commercial and retail space

Source: Pine Harbour Holdings, 2011
Example of apartment designs laid out in Pine Holdings Proposal

The community is not against development, they only wish to modify the company’s proposal so that the new development does not negatively and significantly impact the current facade of the area. The community group has also pointed out that the developments have not been accompanied by a development increase in transportation modes. This is significant as the main modes of transport (excluding private car) in this area are the ferry and buses, which run very limited services and infrequent services, meaning most of the new residential developments will use private vehicles thus increasing traffic and usage of local roads. 

Pine Harbour’s development is a clear signal to everyone that urban grow is occurring and Auckland city’s surrounding areas such as the Beachlands will have to take some of the growth. However, development should occur in a way that is not only commercially beneficial but also sympathetic and considerate to community/local values. Communities should be listened to and their ideas thought about and responded to. In the end development will only be successful in adding to Auckland’s social capital when it acknowledges social values. 

New pipes same technique

Manurewa is getting new stormwater infrastructure. Alongside Mahia Road work is well underway to upgrade the old stormwater pipes. Manurewa has experience large population growth in the last few years as many residential developments have opened up such as Glenveagh Park and Wattle Downs causing an increase in impervious areas and increasing the level of storm water runoff into the drains the old pipes are no long able to handle the volume of water runoff from the area.

Source: Layco, 2011 Personal Photos.
Diggers preparing the ground for the pipes.

Source: Layco, 2011 Personal Photos.
Pipes on road side waiting to be placed underground.

Source: Layco, 2011 Personal Photos.
Numerous large pipes that will be installed to help Manurewa deal with stormwater.

Its great to see investment into infrastructure in Manurewa, however it should be accompanied with more environmental methods of dealing with stormwater and runoff such as rain gardens. Old methods of channelling and draining stormwater maybe efficient in the short-term but its long-term impacts on the environment is significant and should be avoided. Other areas have dealt with stormwater using best management practises with added creativity no longer is the stormwater piped and quickly sent away but it becomes a integral feature of the place. 

Source: Prince, J.W. 2011.
Stormwater ponds used as a "natural feature" in a park.

Source: Prince, J.W. 2011.
Stormwater retention ponds as a 'natural' view for the surrounding residential development.

Businesses and Manukau

Manukau has some of New Zealand’s largest industrial sectors containing some of the best international and local business such as Lion Brewery. Highbrook a recently developed business park contains more then 30 businesses ranging from banks to information technology firms. Highbrook has been beautifully developed to take advantage of the natural features surrounding it, thus not only is it a good place to do business but also to visit. The Highbrook development is testament to Manukau active methods of attracts businesses into its city.

Source: Goodman Developments, 2011.
The white outline indicates where Highbrook Park has been developed.

Below is a video Manukau has used in the past to attract and inform businesses about why Manukau is the place to locate your business. It displays Manukau’s strengths in the different spheres including its social makeup, infrastructure, location, resource availability and political environment. If you listen to the statistics and evidence spoken throughout the video it will become evident why Manukau has the majority of industries and continues to enjoy business investment and location within its boundaries. Manukau clearly has comparative advantage when it comes to attracting Manufacturing and Industrial businesses.

Manukau’s trees left to fend for themselves

Submissions for nominating tree protection in urban Manukau finished on the 31^st of March and the future for our urban trees do not look good.

On the 22^nd of March Manukau Courier voiced the pleas of the Manurewa, Otara-Papatoetoe and Mangere-Otahuhu local boards to local residents to lodge submissions nominating trees for protection. 

When Manukau Courier’s article was release only a total of two trees in Manukau “had been nominated for protection under the district plan”. This is a major worry because after January 2012 all current general rules protecting Manukau’s trees will be removed and replaced by the new plan that does not embody a general trees protection rule.

Below are direct quotes, which were interesting from this Manukau Courier article (2011):

• ·         Auckland Council says any trees identified and protected under previous councils' existing district plans will continue to be protected.
• ·      To date there are around 630 trees protected under the former Manukau City Council's existing plan.
• ·      Only trees in outstanding condition that are renowned for their heritage and contribution to the community landscape will be considered.

The worry among some residents in these urban areas is that once the general tree protect rule is removed people will cut down trees unnecessarily without acknowledging their amenity value and wider role in the environment.

While 630 trees will continue to be protected in Manukau, thousands of others are unprotected by law. Think about it this way Manukau covers about 683 km² within this area there are thousands of trees. Of these thousands of trees, only 630 individual trees have legal protection from anyone trying to cut it down, the rest could be cut down without consequence after 2012.

Personally, I think Manukau’s beautiful urban and rural environment is testament to the success of the general tree protection rule, without it trees in urban areas specially those facing major development pressures are likely to be cut down for the sake of development. Trees modify derelict urban areas into pleasant livable spaces and more importantly, they are part of a larger ecosystem that should be protected.

Reference:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/4791835/Time-running-out-for-trees

Choo-Choo train heading towards Manukau’s CBD

Residents living in Manukau are about to get a new rail line service opened to them. Unlike North Shore and Auckland City residents who have frequent bus services with dedicated bus lines such as the B-line or the Northern express buses using the Northern bus-way, Manukau City residents depend on our trains as our main public transport into Auckland CBD. Some may argue that it won't matter if there's another train line service with the increasing train fare encourages Manukau residents to get back into their cars but that’s another story. 

Currently there are rail lines are being attached and laid out connecting the current Southern rail line to the new rail line heading towards Manukau’s CBD. The rail line named the Manukau rail link leads into a Britomart like transport hub, which is estimated to become the second busiest station after Britomart.

More new tracks are being laid out behind the pile of gravel heading towards Manukau CBD.
Source: R.Layco, 2011 Personal photos

Dirty roads that are being used by the heavy machinery to laid out the tracks.
Source: R. Layco, 2011 Personal Photos

More materials that are being used during construction.
Source: R. Layco, 2011 Personal Photos

According to Kiwi Rail this is “the first new rail route to be built in Auckland since 1930”. The line will be a double track “2km section of new track linking Davies Ave in Manukau City with the Southern railway line at Puhinui. The track will run under Lambie Drive and Plunket Ave and across Hayman Park” (Kiwi Rail, 2011).

Source: Kiwi Rail, 2011

Kiwi Rail started work in July 2009 and the project is expected to be finished mid 2011 and scheduled to operate passenger services so after. Additionally, the project has been timed to finish in time to assist in rugby world cup transportation. I have been using train services regularly for over 7 years and I have no doubt that once this line has opened that the locals will utilize it. 

Sports + infrastructure = Healthy Manukau

Manukau is home to some of the most deprived deciles because of this Counties Manukau health board warned that Manukau’s child and adult obesity rates, as well as other health problems would increase rapidly and disproportionately to the rest of the Country.

Manukau City Council’s responds was to increase funding, re-develop or build new sports centres that provides free or low cost recreational activities. Auckland Council has continued this plan of action. Manukau is the only part of Auckland that can access free swimming pool, low cost community gyms and facility hire.

Old sports complex being pulled down so that a new complex can be developed in Manurewa Park.
Source: R. Layco, 2011 Personal Photos

Manurewa has two large sport complexes being built at this very moment. The new complexes are located near large open space and parks. They offer safe indoor and outdoor spaces for individual or group physical activity. The intent of these community sports centres is to encourage and nurture the sporting excellence that exists here as well as boosting physically activity among the local community.

Netball Manurewa Community Events Centre in the process of being finished.
Source: R. Layco, 2011 Personal Photos

Mountfort Park a new complex and the process of being developed into a multi-sports facility.
Source: R. Layco, 2011 Personal Photos

Sign with conceptual drawing of the Netball events centre.
Source: R. Layco, 2011 Personal Photos

Sign with conceptual design of Mountfort Facility.
Source: R. Layco, 2011 Personal Photos

The overall idea is to provide a range of recreational activities for free or at low cost so that Manukau residents become involved and stay active, in doing so they reduce their likelihood of future health complications. 

Introduction

Manukau City is located south of Auckland City’s CDB. It is still commonly recognized that Manukau City is made up of the following suburbs Mangere, Otara, Papatoetoe, Manurewa, Clevedon, Howick and Botany. There was a common fear among Manukau City residents that they would be forgotten when the move to a ‘super council’ occurred last year.

Source: Manukau City Council, 2009

In this blog I will explore impact of the political transition on the city mainly by looking at urban issues in Manukau and if there are initiatives being taken to address them.