We’re proud to have been part of the project team resulting in a ground-breaking decision from Independent Hearing Commissioners who granted a private plan change application in Beachlands South. The plan change has now been given the green light by the Environment Court following settlement of appeals. 

The plan change will provide Auckland with significant additional housing capacity, choice and variety by extending the existing coastal settlement in Beachlands South, and is significant for a few reasons:

• it is the first plan change under the Auckland Unitary Plan to enable development outside the rural-urban boundary;
• it was the first private plan change where the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from a development were considered, following a law change; and
• the size of the development and the world class, comprehensive planning that has included international expertise.

Our firm, led by Planning & Environment Partner Bill Loutit, supported Beachlands South Limited Partnership (comprising the NZ Super Fund, Russell Property Group, Brett Russell, Rob Bassett and Ngāi Tai Hāpai). 

We were involved in the project through the design phase all the way through to the Council-level hearing before an Independent Hearings Panel.

An exceptional development

Mr Loutit says: “The fact that this is the first plan change granted outside the rural-urban boundary under Auckland’s Unitary Plan, shows how difficult this milestone is to achieve, and the very high quality of development that is required to be successful. 

"While the Auckland Unitary Plan specifically provides for significant growth of coastal towns and villages, so far the Council has not supported this growth. 

“Independent Commissioners have sent a clear message that the Unitary Plan anticipates certain growth outside the rural-urban boundary, alongside infilling urban areas, in order to meet Auckland’s urban development goals and help meet housing demand. 

“Beachlands South will be an exceptional development, and one which our team is very proud to have been part of,” says Mr Loutit. 

What does the plan change mean?

The plan change will result in 2,900 houses of mixed density in the live zoned area of the site, with potential for further development of up to 4,000 houses in the future. 

Beachlands South will also provide for a local centre with over 2,000 employment opportunities, a much-needed secondary school, cafes, shopping, community facilities and open spaces including 88 hectares of ecologically protected areas, a coastal walkway and an extensive network of walking and cycling paths. 

Sustainability in a post-Covid world

Sustainability was embedded into the project design from the beginning, with a strong focus on providing all that people need to live locally, water sensitive design, energy efficient buildings, and well thought out walking and cycling paths connecting key locations, including to the ferry terminal which travels direct to Auckland CBD. 
A standout feature is the 80-hectare conservation reserve, with 36 per cent of the site dedicated to native forest and ecological planting, in order to sequester carbon, provide a quality habitat for indigenous flora and fauna, and vital green space to the community. 

Climate change impacts considered

Simpson Grierson Senior Associate Planning & Environment, Rachel Abraham says: “To effect the plan change, the proposal needed to demonstrate that it supported greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

“Interpreting what the legal tests meant for a private plan change was a new challenge, because it raised questions around construction processes, on-site carbon sequestration, energy efficiency of buildings, and the anticipated work and travel habits of future residents.” 

Commissioners found that the proposal must do better than a business-as-usual approach, and agreed with the applicant that greenhouse gas emissions reductions were ‘baked in’ to the design and reflected in the provisions. 

Reasons for this included: access to the public ferry, walking and cycling integration, trip internalisation, a compact urban form, green building certification, a significant ecological network, rainwater harvesting and the participation and support of Ngāi Tai ki Tamaki. 

Plan change success relies on team of experts

Appearing on behalf of the applicant, 36 witnesses spoke in the Council hearing to provide expertise on a wide range of issues including cultural effects, sustainability and post-Covid urbanism, economics, metals accumulation, ecological effects, ferry operations, infrastructure, coastal hazards and traffic effects. 

The applicant team included: Russell Property Group, Brett Russell, Rob Bassett, Ngāi Tai Hāpai, NZ Super Fund, Vijay Lala and Nick Roberts of Unio and Russell Bartlett Kings Counsel. 

Get in touch

If you would like to chat to us about the plan change decision or its potential impact on your business, please get in touch with one of our experts.