'Gold rush' predicted before protection

Legislation to make the Waitakere Ranges a national heritage area will not close the gate on hundreds of building and development proposals, say the authors of a draft bill which is out for discussion today.

The bill is a response to concerns expressed by residents and lobby groups and by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Morgan Williams, who said present development rules let the ranges suffer "death by a thousand cuts".

The Government invited the Auckland Regional Council and the Waitakere City Council to draft legislation for long-term protection of the ranges.

But the authors of the draft bill say any application for a resource consent made before the bill becomes law will be dealt with under present guides.

Environmentalists expect a "gold rush" as landowners put in their subdivision bids before the heritage area comes under the wing of the proposed legislation.

In the ranges and foothills area many sections that are not built on yet could be - 800 in Waitakere and 400 in the Rodney part, said Waitakere City Council ranges project leader Graeme Campbell.

"If you were to stop all subdivisions from today, that would be a lot of development affected."

A logjam of building applications could be expected, including some for sections close to the ranges' regional parkland, said the ARC manager of policy implementation, Hugh Jarvis.

He said the draft bill gave clear and specific guidelines for how the ranges should be managed and developed. But in the meantime applications would be dealt with under the Resource Management Act.

This did not give real guidance about avoiding the effects of granting consents for small projects which, when added together over time, had a serious impact on the character and ecology of the ranges.

"It's not what you see now," said Mr Jarvis. "There is a latent pool of titles which are yet to be built on and which will have a cumulative effect - let alone what future building plans may add to it."

Mr Campbell said the bill defined the heritage area and allowed communities to say what their place should be like.

At Piha, for example, it was likely that development would continue to be low density - without apartments and high-rise hotels - and below the bushline.

"The message of the bill is not that you cannot subdivide but that you cannot create a metropolitan character.

"It has to be in scale and with the character of a bush or rural dominated place.

"For people who have moved into an area to have a lifestyle choice which is not to have people looking into your kitchen window, the bill provides enormous certainty and relief that their investment is going to be safe in the future.

"For people who think that metropolitan Auckland will continue to creep into the ranges and if they just sit there long enough one day it's going to be all eighth of an acre sections, this is bad news."

The heritage area includes about 17,000ha of rainforest and coastal areas in the ownership of the Crown and ARC.

An area of eastern foothills in countryside is included as a buffer between the western metropolitan urban limits, as have the Titirangi-Laingholm areas and coastal settlements.

About 18,000 people live in the ranges and foothills.

What happens next

The draft bill will get its first airing at a public meeting tonight at the Hopetoun Alpha, 19 Beresford Square, Auckland City, at 7 o'clock.

Councils will debate whether they support legislation - the ARC tomorrow , Waitakere City on Wednesday and Rodney District on February 24.

Waitakere City has received about 3000 submissions.

If the councils approve a local bill, it will be introduced to Parliament in April and is likely to be referred to a select committee for consideration.