How are the District Plan hearings going? Here's an insight!
From Scoop
by Felicity Wong
The first round of District Plan hearings by independent commissioners wrapped up recently. They focussed on two issues. Whether the Johnsonville train is “rapid transit” under the Government’s mandated NPSUD; and whether the “walkable catchments”, under the imposed upzoning rules, need to be actually walkable.
Commissioners rode the train with a bunch of school kids who got on at Raroa and travelled to Johnsonville and then back to home stations in free scenic journeys. They huffed and puffed up the Newlands hill under the dark motorway tunnel and countless steps, said by WCC to be perfectly walkable after visiting the supermarket at their base. That’s assuming you’re not elderly, disabled or have a pram. Commissioners wore their tramping shoes for a second visit to hilly Johnsonville. ….
Stream 2
The next hearings will be on zoning for residential areas, called “stream 2”. They start on 28 March. The main issues will include the extent of NPSUD exemptions for the historic inner city suburbs, all within the supposed “walkable catchments”.
WCC has done a lot of quality work examining “site by site” the streetscape characteristics of houses in those historic inner suburbs. It recently released a “s.42a report” for Commissioners which recommends the area of proposed “character precincts” be extended. It still involves removing current protections from over 50% of the heritage inner suburbs (Thorndon, Mt Victoria, Aro Valley, The Terrace, Newtown and Mt Cook). But it’s a more realistic basis for the stream 2 hearings.
What’s at stake is Wellington’s history, character, sense of identity and what makes it quirky and loved by young and old residents alike.