North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Local boards fearful for crown reserves
A decision to put affordable and social housing on Crown land has left other local boards worried it is creating a precedent.
In December 2016, Housing Minister Nick Smith announced plans for 300 homes to be built on 12 hectares of Point England Reserve to help address the city’s housing crisis.
It was the ninth site identified as part of the Government’s Crown land development programme addressing the significant housing need across the city.
Smith also introduced the Point England Development Enabling Bill to Parliament and submissions on the bill closed on January 31.
The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board contributed to a submission on the bill and chairwoman Julia Parfitt says the decision could set a precedent for all Crown land.
‘‘The local board is concerned, especially considering the number of public assets on that land, from the tennis club at Centennial Park to the arts centre in Orewa,’’ Parfitt says. ‘‘It’s laudable to have land for housing but, if you have housing, you also need reserve land. It’s so important.’’
Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chairman Grant Gillon says his board also submitted on the bill with concerns about using legislation to overcome reserve status.
‘‘It’s been put aside as reserve, it should be maintained as a reserve. With greater intensification people need somewhere to go.’’
Gillon says a precedent at Point England could mean any crown reserve land is ‘‘up for grabs’’.
‘‘We don’t have enough land to serve the growth that we have and to sell it off is short-sighted,’’ Gillon says. ‘‘If Parliament changes legislation to allow housing on reserve land, it actually puts all of our reserves at risk.‘‘
Upper Harbour Local Board chairwoman Lisa Whyte says, in her opinion, reserve land is too important to consider selling in principle, a case-by-case analysis would be needed.
‘‘The social and environmental and ecological values are quite hard to quantify against the need for other purposes like housing,’’ Whyte says.
The Point England Development Enabling Bill would revoke the reserve status of 12 hectares of Point England Reserve and rezone it as residential-mixed housing urban. If the bill is adopted, construction is expected to begin in 2017 or 2018.