Kāpiti Coast District Council has adopted a set of objectives for membership of the Sandhills Expressway Alliance that is being established by New Zealand Transport Agency. The 11 objectives were passed with some fine tuning by Council. Mayor Jenny Rowan said the setting of objectives was an important step towards seeking a positive outcome for local residents from the NZTA driven project.
“The proposed expressway is not what we envisaged for our district. However, it has become very clear that the full weight of central government is behind the expressway concept.
“Given that, my council has decided it is better if we are ‘inside the tent’ where we will be able to lobby on behalf of our residents for an outcome that achieves improvements for both local and national road users.”
Ms Rowan said Council’s membership of the Alliance, however, came with conditions. “We have gone to our constituents and sought their advice over the kind of outcomes they want. These have been packaged as 11 objectives (attached). We think these objectives are sensible and take into account across-district travel, the importance of access to town centres, public transport links, cultural and environmental issues.”
Council has authorised Chief Executive Pat Dougherty to negotiate membership of the proposed NZTA sponsored Alliance based on these objections, and to report back to Council on the outcomes of those negotiations.
Ms Rowan said Council understood Government’s keenness to push on with the project, but she was equally mindful of the need to get Council and the community’s aspirations on the table.
“This is a major project that carries huge implications for the future shape and health of our community. It is important that all the participants are open and clear about their aspirations from the start.”
A resolution put that Popular Avenue be used as the southern entrance if the Expressway proceeds, was lost after several councillors argued that not enough information was available to make such a decision at this stage.
The 11 objectives passed by Council follow.
NZTA Sandhills Expressway – Project Objectives
adopted by Kāpiti Coast District Council 22 April 2010
1. General Philosophy
That the Sandhills Expressway project is designed, constructed, operated and maintained in a way that:
a. provides full recognition, respect and focus on the wider urban and rural contexts, including the Kāpiti Coast District Council Local and District Outcomes;
b. delivers actions and investment outside the designation corridor where these are necessary to avoid, minimise or mitigate the negative effects or maximise any potential benefits of the Expressway to the surrounding communities, local economy and environment;
Note: References to the Sandhills Expressway in these objectives means the project in this wider context not just the four lane road and immediate corridor.
2. Tangata Whenua
That the Sandhills Expressway is designed and constructed in a way that respects and resolves the concerns of tangata whenua and exhibits best practice mitigation where tangata whenua values are affected.
3. Impact on Surrounding Properties
That the Sandhills Expressway is designed and constructed in a way that minimises the impacts on adjoining and surrounding properties.
4. Network Efficiency and Resilience
That residents and businesses have a minimum of two separate routes available for local traffic to travel between Waikanae and Paraparaumu and that the overall network operates to:
a) significantly improve travel times;
b) improve access to schools, colleges, employment areas and other community facilities;
c) ensure the safety of elderly and young residents and the transport disadvantaged travelling between communities;
d) improve local network resilience in the event of emergencies;
5. Town Centre and Commercial Area Viability
That the pre-eminence and economic viability of the District’s existing major town centres as social, employment, retail and passenger transport nodes are maintained by:
a) ensuring well designed direct access via the Expressway into and out of Paraparaumu town centre, nearby commercial areas and airport;
b) ensuring that the nature and scale of the existing State Highway 1 at Waikanae and Paraparaumu town centres delivers a viable and attractive roading and access system for local and regional needs (i.e. is able to accommodate the impacts of projected passenger transport movement and growth, vehicle, pedestrian and cycle movements and enhances those town centres);
c) ensuring that the integrated transport network operates to reduce congestion in Waikanae town centre and at the Elizabeth street level crossing.
6. Land Use, Urban and Rural Form
That the Sandhills Expressway (particularly at the southern and northern ends) together with the existing SH1 roading system is provided in a way that:
a) eliminates pressures for urban sprawl (including coastal development) and associated inefficient infrastructure systems;
b) eliminates pressure for retail and other development outside the existing town centre and employment nodes, in particular, at Raumati, Otaihanga and north of Waikanae;
c) is consistent with the District’s Development Management Strategy and associated regulatory policies (including the District Plan and Plan Changes 79 and 80).
7. Connectivity
That the Sandhills Expressway design maximises connectivity, safety, and accessibility and minimises severance for communities including by:
a) configuring interchanges to achieve integration with urban form and surrounding land uses;
b) retaining all existing east/west local road connections;
c) providing for enhanced east/west connectivity within Raumati, Paraparaumu and Waikanae;
d) retaining and providing enhanced linkages for pedestrians and cyclists along and across the Expressway route for access to public transport systems, neighbourhoods, public open space, recreational amenities and local centres;
e) providing left on, left off opportunities where grade separation interchanges are not provided, but not at the expense of grade separated intersections.
8. Freight Routes
That the Sandhills Expressway project provides clearly defined safe, efficient freight routes, in particular to town centres and major employment areas, while avoiding any consequent impacts from these routes on residential and town centre activity, function and amenity.
9. Stormwater and Groundwater
That the Sandhills Expressway is designed, constructed, operated and maintained in a way that:
a) conforms to the Kāpiti Coast District stormwater requirements and associated accepted best practice, including the policy of on-site hydraulic neutrality;
b) ensures that the hills to coast stormwater flow (both surface and groundwater) is not impeded;
c) ensures that the natural flows in wetland areas are not impeded.
10. Environmental 1
That the Sandhills Expressway is designed, constructed, operated and maintained in a way that:
a) minimises the loss of the dune and wetland landscape through which it passes, including any remnant native vegetation;
b) provides a high quality of natural environment where the Expressway crosses streams, wetlands and the Waikanae River and avoids culverting and closing in of stream systems;
c) ensures that adverse effects on the environment and amenity of the Waikanae River and corridor are avoided, mitigated or minimised;
d) avoids adverse impacts on local flora and fauna, particularly in areas currently protected or covenanted for their natural systems and ecological values.
11. Environmental 2
That the Sandhills Expressway is designed, constructed, operated and maintained in a way that:
a) delivers remedy for, or mitigation of amenity, environmental, archaeological, waahi tapu and visual impacts which are representative of internationally accepted best practice, including but not confined to the NZTA’s best practice statements on urban design and planning;
b) delivers mitigation of noise and visual impacts on surrounding properties using best practice ‘soft engineering’ and landscape practice consistent with enhancement of surrounding landscape and visual amenity values (within and outside the designation) and actively avoids use of engineered hard surface sound barriers (such as noise walls);
c) avoids adverse impacts (including access) to local schools, community amenities and facilities, and the local roading network (in particular the nature and character of residential streets).
