Liz September 22nd, 2008
On 16 September 2008, we were advised by Judith Bassett, ARC Councillor that ARC has thoroughly discussed STEPS concerns about Meola Creek. These concerns were first raised with ARC when Judith and ARC officers were invited to present to us on 20 Sept 2007. They have been followed by a recent letter from the Eden Albert Community Board, (see previous blog post), and also concern from STEPS that ARC provided a non-notifed resource consent allowing Housing NZ to move the creek bed above Haverstock Rd – in advance of the hearings for ACC resource consents.
ARC will follow up the letter to Watercare asking about their priorities and management of the stream.
Auckland Regional Councillors have also advised council officers that:
- STEPS concern is not limited to sewage but to other contaminants as well.
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They must determine where the stream should be and where the
“overland flow path” is meant to be.
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They must also consider concerns about Meola Reef, (where Meola Creek discharges to the Witemata Harbour)
-
The most practical thing requested was a process of regular monitoring to establish a baseline as you asked us to do. Relying on complaints is no good.
- Once the baseline is established we can have a systematic monitoring process to try to find out what is really happening to the stream and whether Watercare can do more to mitigate
the adverse effects.
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Tags: ARC
Liz September 22nd, 2008
Eden Albert Community Board has written to ARC to ask them to manage Meola Creek in accordance with their Regional Policy Statement (RPS)…
The notice of motion is available as a PDF here.
An extract from EACB minutes is attached. Full minutes from 27 Aug are at: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/members/boardmeetings/edenalbert/m20080827.asp
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Tags: ARC
Liz September 15th, 2008
In the case of Meola – it is not a creek when Housing NZ applied to Auckland Regional Council (ARC) for consent to cut off the meander at the top of the creek behind 96 Haverstock Rd. ARC chose to grant an UNNOTIFIED consent for Housing NZ to straighten the creek and build a concrete wall and lane over the creek bed as a permitted activity in a watercourse. So – by the time the Auckland City Council (ACC) public hearings for HNZ development of 41 units were held 2 months later – HNZ and ARC had already decided the creek’s fate. City Councillor Glenda Fryer has contacted ARC Chairman Mike Lee on behalf of the local community to ask how this happened.
We were pleased that the Kura Kaupapa in Haverstock Rd and the Environmental Network at Hort Research (who have planted around the wetland above the creek) joined STEPS and other submitters in raising concerns at the ACC Hearings in September. See attached JPG photos of the creek bed and the plantings above it done by the Environmental Network.
Our thanks to Community Board Chair Chris Dempsey – who appeared as a witness for STEPS and Meola Creek at the ACC Hearings. We await the decision from the hearings.
Meola Creek bed
4 months after Streamside planting June 2008
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