Auckland high density housing: Heritage groups rally to save thousands of villas and bungalows going 'out the door'

About half of the residents in Auckland's St Marys Bay are expected to voice their anger and opposition at the prospect of their historic villas being rezoned for high density housing.

St Marys Bay, along with Freemans Bay and Parnell, are the three oldest suburbs in Auckland and about 300 homes could be "going out the door", said Brian Putt, a committee member of the St Marys Bay Association.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we get 200 submissions from the 420 households. There is a huge amount of concern, confusion and anger."

Putt is referring to a proposal by Auckland Council to rezone nearly one in four of 21,000 homes with heritage values in 'Special Character Areas' for high density housing.

Labour and National want fewer single homes and more intensifcation across Auckland. Photo / Jason Oxenham

The council is seeking feedback on the proposal which significantly impacts St Marys Bay, Birkenhead and Northcote. The largest change occurs in Epsom, Remuera and Parnell. Mt Albert gets some change, but Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Devonport and Cheltenham only have small changes.

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The potential loss of thousands of kauri homes that form part of Auckland's identity stems from the passing of the Housing Enabling Bill, cooked up between Labour and National with the backing of their respective leaders Jacinda Ardern and Christopher Luxon and their Auckland MPs.

Under the bill, passed in December, people will be able to build up to three homes of up to three storeys on most sites with few planning rules without a resource consent. Large sites can be subdivided for more housing.

Under the law, the council has discretion to consider "qualifying matters" for exemption, such as heritage and areas at risk from natural hazards.

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Devonport is relativley unscathed by the proposed changes. Photo / Michael Craig

The council has proposed that special character areas are a qualifying matter in walkable areas where 75 per cent or more of individual properties have high character values. Outside walkable areas, the threshold is 66 per cent.

A council review of the Special Character Areas assessed whether each property has high, medium or low qualities. Anything less than a high score of 5 or 6 is "out the door".

As well, the Government's new National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) requires the council to enable buildings of six storeys or more within walkable distances of the city centre, 10 metropolitan centres and rapid transit stops.

Putt, who is a planner, said people have spent millions of dollars renovating homes in St Marys Bay and feel let down by the council's approach. The association would like to see the suburb made an Historic Heritage Area under the Resource Management Act, he said.

The association believes St Marys Bay is outside or on the very cusp of the walkable catchment and has a number of properties with a medium score of 4 which deserve a score of 5.

Sally Hughes chairs the Character Coalition of 60 or so heritage and community groups.

Hughes is appalled at the loss of historic neighbourhoods that tell the story of Auckland, which, she said, will gain very little housing, let alone affordable housing in the special character areas.

Character Coalition chair Sally Hughes. Photo / Doug Sherring

"We understand the housing imperative. We are not blind to that. We are not opposed to intensification. We have said through the Auckland Unitary Plan and now this, it's a matter of where it is done.

"Do we want a city that is shaped by developers or do we want one that provides more housing without losing the city's identity, history and its beauty."

On the other side is the Coalition for More Homes, 16 groups pushing for "more homes in the right places and density done well". The coalition wants to remove special character areas in walkable catchments and improve listed heritage protections and high quality character.

Coalition spokesman Scott Caldwell told Stuff the council's plans were "very undercooked" and special character areas should never have had protections to begin with.

He said there was a "reasonable case" for some very limited protections like securing particular areas that were "very exemplary" for having a particular architectural style or rich history.

The Character Coalition says Auckland has a world heritage collection of wooden villas and bungalows. Photo / Dean Purcell.

A better approach would be to implement architectural controls in certain areas so new buildings better fit an older suburb's aesthetic style, Caldwell said.

Hughes said the idea of saving "one or two streets" and the rest should go is appalling for what is a world heritage collection of wooden villas and bungalows that draws tourists to the city.

The Character Coalition and others are also upset at the "impenetrable technology" Auckland Council has set up for people to use and respond to the proposed changes.

The council's GIS map showing the changes has been difficult and confusing for people, especially the elderly, to navigate, said Kaipatiki Local Board member Danielle Grant.

She is calling for a balanced approach of protecting heritage, while still enabling new warm, dry and affordable homes, subject to infrastructure constraints in older suburbs like Northcote Pt and Birkenhead.

The Government's housing bill allows for greater intensification in Auckland. Photo / File

Birkenhead Heritage Society spokeswoman Erica Hannam said locals are feeling blindsided by the significant loss of lovely old wooden homes and the stories that belong to them.

"Maintaining a sense of history and place in some of our most unique special character areas of Northcote Pt and Birkenhead is what people are asking for."

Writing in the Herald this week, councillor John Watson said Auckland stands to lose a quarter of what little remains of the city's special character in one fell swoop.

He said people are being told it is necessary to remove the protection for historic suburbs to supply more housing when the Unitary Plan allows for 900,000 new homes on residential zoned land.

"Contrary to popular belief there's actually no shortage of land to build houses on for the next 30 years and beyond."

The other rationale that the changes will somehow help build more affordable homes will almost certainly not happen in special character areas, he said.

Auckland councillor John Watson. Photo / Nick Reed

Demolishing one historic villa in places like Northcote Pt and Birkenhead, Watson said, will create three expensive and unaffordable homes out of reach for poor families and young couples.

Following the feedback, the council will consider changes before formally publicly notifying a plan change in August. The submissions will be heard by an independent hearings panel.

The panel will make recommendations to the council on any changes to the Unitary Plan. If the council rejects any of the recommendations, Environment Minister David Parker will make a final decision.

Submissions on the proposed changes to special character areas and new housing density rules close on May 9. For details go to: akhaveyoursay.nz/housing