Long Bay plan gets green light

The Environment Court has released its final decision, adopting the Long Bay Structure Plan: Plan Change 6 after three hearings and two interim decisions between July 2007 and the release of the final decision on 15 July 2011.

Councillor Ann Hartley Chair of the Regional Development and Operations Committee said: “The Long Bay Structure Plan aims to find the delicate balance between facilitating development to accommodate urban growth and providing for the needs of the future community, without sacrificing the heritage and environmental values of the area.”

She added “It has been a long process and I pay tribute to the local people who have contributed so much to ensure we can obtain balanced outcomes for the environment at this special place.”

The structure plan area covers an area of approximately 360 hectares and delivers approximately 2500 lots that will accommodate around 7000 people. The area will utilise a mixed land-use concept that incorporates a village centre, urban and suburban lots ranging from 450m2 to more intensive forms of development for terraced and apartment type housing as well as large lots of 2,500m² to 5,000 m2.

Former North Shore City Council prepared the structure plan to enable development while protecting a number of unique environmental features of the area. These included the landscapes and natural character of the coastline north of Vaughan Stream, Long Bay Regional Park, an area of Awaruku headland, the high ecological and amenity value of the Vaughan Stream catchment and coastal receiving waters of the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve as well as a number of native vegetation areas of ecological value.

The court’s decisions were made in response to appeals lodged with the Environment Court on the former North Shore City Council’s plan change decision adopted in May 2006.

The appeals covered a wide range of issues including:

• alternative structure plans
• restriction of suburban development adjacent to the Long Bay Regional Park
• avoidance of visual effects of development on the Okura catchment and land adjacent to the regional park
• limits on development in the heritage protection area

Overall, the court adopted the council's vision for the Long Bay area. In particular, it confirmed:

• · A precautionary approach to the quantity of earthworks within the area through limiting the area of large earthworks being open at any one time within the structure plan area.
• · Adoption of a water sensitive urban design approach with an emphasis on on-site stormwater management solutions (low impact design, treatment train approach) for all development, such as rain tanks, rain gardens, and other bio-filtration devices and less reliance on end-of-pipe solutions such as ponds and wetlands, including the protection and rehabilitation of riparian margins.
• · The retention, protection and management of significant habitats and stands of remnant forest through the application of landscape protection and management areas.
• · Requirement for lizard management plans for any larger scale earthworks applications.
• · A Heritage Protection Zone to protect the significant heritage values of the archaeological sites on and behind the southern headlands overlooking the Regional Park. Activities in the Heritage Protection Area are to be managed through a Heritage Management Plan.
• · The Piripiri Point Protection Area and Park Interface Protection Area are to protect the values of the outstanding natural landscape and natural character of the coastal environment area north of Vaughan Stream, including the amenity values of the Long Bay Regional Park and Piripiri Reserve, from the adverse effects of urban development in the adjoining zone.
• · The use of tree planting, building setbacks to create a soft interface between an ‘urban’ Long Bay and ‘rural’ Okura.
• The creation of a well connected mixed use urban structure that will establish communal activity in and around the village centre and provide a strong focus for the new residential community at Long Bay.
• The use of precinct plans to give effect to the overall direction provided by the land use strategy and ensure high quality urban design and well-located recreation areas to provide a balance between open space needs, varying housing typologies and densities and well connected road networks, walkways and cycleways.
• The use of reserve acquisition and application of a Stream Interface Protection Area to retain the open character of the Vaughans Stream valley and where appropriate a high quality built edge.
• The development of a primary road network designed to support a new main entry to the Regional Park, and to facilitate access to the adjoining residential areas and the existing schools.