Lifestylers a challenge for Franklin District planners

In the second and final part of a series, ARNOLD PICKMERE looks at how population growth from Auckland is affecting rural Franklin.

What would happen if another 20,000 people were to move to rural Franklin, south of Auckland, by the year 2021?

That's the question facing council planners as they try to cope with increasing numbers of lifestylers who move from the city and subdivide the district's prosperous market garden landscape into smaller and smaller pockets.

The first effect would be to raise the population to about 76,000. Planners think the main towns such as Pukekohe (now 13,110-plus), Waiuku and Tuakau will continue to grow. One estimate suggests 65 per cent of the growth will be in these urban areas.

But demand for "lifestyle" properties means that areas around small villages and in coastal areas will also get more people. The challenge is make sure that:

* The attractive character of the Franklin countryside does not suffer too much.

* Environmental matters in the district get better treatment.

* That the district's valuable, versatile soils, in which about a third of New Zealand's vegetables are grown, remain available for use.

* Commercial farming, including dairying, remains possible.

Over the past five years Franklin District Council has been working out a Rural Plan Change, to deal with population growth, with aims and rules replacing the District Plan sections dealing with rural areas.

Right now it is still struggling to resolve objections and get at least some of its ideas in place before some councillors and the mayor, Heather Maloney, retire at the coming local body elections.

Some of the targets of the Rural Plan Change include:

Villages and coastal areas

Allowing more population growth in rural and coastal areas such as Clarks Beach, on the shores of the Manukau Harbour (with provisos about erosion and other environmental protections).

There is also the possibility of subdivisions where part of the development involves environmental lots, protecting and restoring or enhancing significant natural and cultural features.

Not everyone will like more people in their beach bach spot or rural village.

The council argues that in many such places the existing wastewater disposal is not sustainable. Therefore there is an urgent need for new reticulation and treatment plants. Bigger populations mean it will be easier to pay for these.

Lifestyle blocks

There is definitely a demand for such blocks, says the proposed plan change. And there is a need to ensure subdivision does not become more economical than farming.

It suggests such blocks near villages or in areas with lesser-quality soils. The location of such blocks needs to be managed to avoid conflicts between lifestylers and primary production.

Some of these issues seem bound to provoke opposition from land-owners wanting to subdivide in what the local or regional councils may consider unsuitable areas. Other district councils near cities will watch with interest.

Management areas

In an effort to keep things simple, the Auckland and Environment Waikato regional councils have encouraged the Franklin council to divide its district into three coastal and six rural management areas. There will be specific objectives and policies for each one.

Fragmentation of rural land

One of the most challenging issues facing the district council (and the two regional councils with planning responsibilities for Franklin) is the fragmentation of rural land.

In 1980, for example, 38 per cent of all properties in the-then Franklin County rural area were larger than 10ha. By 1993, that figure had fallen to 24 per cent.

The scenario is potentially worse because that comparison only identified each land holding. In fact many holdings may consist of several legally separate lots which could be sold off individually.

The present district plan says that if all these lots were sold in that way, it would have a significant impact on availability of [commercially] usable land resources.

Title rights swapped

How will areas with high-quality soils be protected?


The proposed Rural Plan Change pushes the idea of Transferable Rural Lot Rights. Its aim is to help keep valuable land in commercially usable sizes.

If a market gardener, for example, had a property in two legal titles, one title could go into another area (such as a council-specified Village Countryside Living zone) where subdivision is allowed. That title would be extinguished so the market garden property would come under one title.

The council would act as a place of record. In its simplest form, the purchaser might buy the right to the title from the seller and transfer the title right to his or her own land.

The concept seems capable of great complication. A number of objectors doubt it would work as intended.

Why has the Rural Plan Change taken so long?

Franklin mayor Heather Maloney says the council talked about it with many people. There was a discussion document, then a final document.

The council has also had to deal with two regional councils whose policies differ. Two-thirds of Franklin comes under the Auckland council's regional stewardship and the rest comes under Environment Waikato.

It is an illustration of the difficulties local bodies have in getting their constituents interested in such matters that Mrs Maloney reckons only about 200 people out of Franklin's 55,500 have followed the five-year process right through.

Mrs Maloney says about 60 per cent of objections from ratepayers relate to concerns about how the Rural Plan Change will affect their property.

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