Battle over stunning views
Auckland Council decision will allow taller homes to be built
Ben Leahy A Howick real estate agent fighting to stop housing development ruining a “treasured” harbour view hopes to raise $300,000 to take Auckland Council to court.
Janet Dickson launched a Givealittle page to raise the costs as part of a last-ditch attempt by local residents to protect views from Stockade Hill reserve.
The vistas sweep from Auckland city over “eight habitable islands”, at least six volcanoes, including Rangitoto, across Waiheke Island as well as the Coromandel and Little Barrier Island in the distance.
Yet a 2015 Auckland Council decision to rezone land around the hill and allow taller homes to be built has threatened the views and triggered a two-year battle with residents.
Dickson’s now taking the matter to the Environment Court, running a “huge financial risk” and putting her home loan at risk.
“Either we win this battle we are taking on or the views from Stockade Hill and around are gone forever,” she said.
It’s a stand backed by many Howick locals, who say they are furious Auckland Council won’t listen to them.
Hundreds have protested at council meetings, about 6700 have signed a petition against the changes. The Howick Ratepayers Association unsuccessfully took the matter to the High Court.
Residents say Stockade Hill is important for all Aucklanders as the site of a war memorial and stockade built in 1863 by settlers during the New Zealand Land Wars.
This was earlier recognised by heritage zoning that required new homes to be built in a manner that protected the views.
But Dickson and her supporters believe council planners made a mistake drafting the Auckland Unitary Plan.
Under the plan many bus routes were zoned “mixed-urban” to allow for higherdensity housing to be built in areas where people had easy access to public transport.
Dickson said planners appear to have overlooked Stockade Hill’s public value and rezoned it because it lay on a bus route.
She said residents did not oppose higherdensity housing but believed there were many more appropriate places to allow it.
They are mostly concerned with a handful of houses closest to Stockade Hill, possibly fewer than 50 properties.
These are homes that planning changes would allow to be developed to heights that would impede the view by effectively creating a wall around the hill, she said.
Homes further away, down the natural slope of the land could be built higher and would likely not affect the view.
Auckland Council general manager plans and places John Duguid said council had listened to residents by proposing a recent amendment. This would protect 137 degrees of sea views from Stockade Hill by restricting homes in this line of site to heights no greater than two storeys.
This “protected” view would stretch — when standing on the hill’s summit — from Rangitoto Island in the west to the headland of Howick Beach in the east.
Elsewhere, around the hill’s edge, homes would be permitted to rise to 12m, or three storeys high — up from previous height restrictions of 8m.
An independent commission backed the council’s decision in a hearing held in April.
Dickson said the amendment did not go far enough.
Environmental law specialist Alan Webb, who is representing Dickson and the Howick residents, said he would use planning and other experts to advise on protecting the hill in balance with development in the area.
Either we win this battle we are taking on or the views from Stockade Hill and around are gone forever.
Janet Dickson