The Gordon Wilson Flats were diagnosed with "concrete cancer" and evacuated in 2012. Photo: The Wireless / Rebekah Parsons-King
The Minister for RMA reform has rejected Wellington City Council's recommendation to remove heritage protections from several buildings.
In March, as part of its District Plan amendments, council rejected recommendations from an Independent Hearings Panel, and voted to remove 10 buildings from the heritage list.
The Gordon Wilson Flats, Miramar Gas Tank, Emeny House, Kahn House, Olympus Apartments, Wharenui Apartments, Robert Stout Building, Primitive Methodist Church, Johnsonville Masonic Hall and Star of the Sea Chapel all had their heritage protections removed.
However, the final sign-off on the council's recommendations lay with the RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, who has instead sided with the Hearings Panel.
Bishop said council did not provide sufficient evidence to support its reasons for removing the buildings from the Heritage schedule.
"That said, I understand the council's position regarding the 10 buildings and I have received separate correspondence from the mayor around making it easier to delist heritage buildings," Bishop said.
"I have already asked for advice on this matter and I look forward to conversations with her and other councils regarding the issue of heritage and how it impedes development."
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Bishop also sided with the Hearings Panel in a decision to enable building heights of six storeys within a 10-minute walkable catchment from the Kilbirnie Metropolitan Centre Zone. Council wanted to retain existing notified building heights and zoning, and instead develop a new plan within a year.
In total, the council referred 20 alternative recommendations to the minister.
He has agreed to nine of them, including zoning a strip of Adelaide Road as City Centre Zone (the hearings panel wanted it zoned as mixed use), classifying the Johnsonville train line as rapid transit, and exempting developments of one to three residential units in medium and high-density residential zones from minimum front and side yard requirements.
"The reasons for accepting these recommendations vary depending on the precise issue, but in general, the council's recommendations give better effect to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development in that they provide additional capacity for housing and business land, will better achieve a well-functioning urban environment, will better provide for a competitive development market and provide for a more efficient use of land," Bishop said.
Bishop said he had taken extensive advice from officials, and could only take into account matters the hearings panel could have taken into account when making its recommendations. He said he had not commissioned new evidence.
Mayor disappointed
Tory Whanau. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau was disappointed the minister had not accepted council's heritage protection recommendations.
"The issue is that under the current law these buildings are considered heritage. However, we have recently written to the minister about making it easier to delist heritage buildings and he is seeking advice. We will continue to work with him on this," she said.
Whanau was pleased the minister had accepted nine out of the 10 alternative zoning recommendations.
"This is a step forward for Wellington and shows commitment from both local and central government to fixing our housing crisis," she said.
"Wellington City is growing, and our housing needs to grow with it. We are expecting 50,000 to 80,000 more people over the coming 30 years. At a bare minimum, everyone in this city deserves a warm, safe, and dry place to call home."