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MINUTES of the Wainui Community Collaboration Meeting held on 10 December 2008 in the Wainui Surf Club at 5.30pm PRESENT: Crs Kathy Sheldrake and Pat Seymour, Chief Executive Lindsay McKenzie, Environment and Planning Manager Hans van Kregten, Engineering and Works Manager Peter Higgs and Environmental Health Officer (EHO) Judith Robertson and approximately 39 community members. APOLOGIES: Cr Andy Cranston and His Worship the Mayor GENERAL INTRODUCTION Welcome to residents and Councillors present and introduction of staff Issues to be discussed on request from those attending: ∑ New on-site water and wastewater systems just installed – what security do residents have? ∑ Moving City Boundary ∑ Price of Reticulation Proposal – Project Process and increased price from the initial $5000 cost per household ∑ Keeping low density housing as a preference for Okitu ∑ Planning Issues and Future Planning for Wainui and Okitu ∑ Wastewater System Monitoring and Environmental Monitoring – source monitoring for environmental contamination ∑ Alternative wastewater system design/greywater etc. ∑ Updating and improving systems rather than replacement ∑ Residents contributing to the Wastewater treatment plant in Gisborne.
Chief Executive - Summary of events about reticulation leading up to the public meeting
2004 – 2005: Council develops and adopts the Urban Coastal Strategy Includes an action to consider issues relating to wastewater and water supply.
2006: Council adopts recommendation by steering group to investigate a design for wastewater and water supply reticulation and funding options. GDC staff are instructed to carry out the investigations.
2008: Council releases a ‘statement of proposal’ to provide for reticulation. Following submissions the Council decides not to adopt the reticulation proposal. The Council accepts that a decision to reticulate is not required at this stage, and that continuing on-site wastewater treatment can continue.
Council agrees to review the environmental management and regulatory framework (Discharges Plan) in consultation with the affected community and stakeholders to ensure that the effects of wastewater disposal systems are adequately mitigated.
Costs for the provision of sewer and water services were substantially more than original expectations because during the reticulation proposal process, the firming up of system design was completed and then the actual costs were able to be worked out. Environment and Planning Manager - Summary Special Character and Urban Coastal Strategy
2005: Urban Coastal Strategy identifies the need for an ‘urban design and planning project’ to address: ∑ development controls e.g. height rules and subdivision density rules, with an aim of maintaining and enhancing the character of the areas. ∑ Residential zoning potential.
2006 - 2007: Urban design and planning project begins. Eastern Earth Landscape Architects commissioned to carry out a landscape assessment. Consultation with the community on issues such as development density and height rules to protect the ‘special character’.
2008: ‘Proposed Plan Change 37’ to the District Plan is notified for submissions in March, along with the reticulation proposal.
‘Proposed Plan Change 37’ ∑ It proposes special rules for Wainui / Okitu to protect the ‘special character’ and design guidelines. ∑ PPC37 withdrawn in July 2008 (at the same time Council rejected the reticulation proposal). ∑ But Council acknowledged: ‘further work is required on providing for future development at Wainui/Okitu/Sponge Bay and providing for matters such as ecological preservation and promotion, and the protection and enhancement of the special character of the communities’.
Chief Executive ∑ Planning Zoning and residential intensity for various areas was considered under consultation on the urban coastal strategy. Along with the reticulation proposal, Plan Change 37 was proposed that would (among other items) retain a minimum Lot size of 800m2 in Wainui/Okitu for the purpose of retaining and enhancing the special character of the area. Engineering and Works Manager The general approach to determine sustainable ways forward for on-site wastewater will take time. ∑ The final costs of reticulation proposal were the reality. Stormwater ∑ The Council is focused on appropriate stormwater management in part due to the influence of stormwater on the function of on-wastewater systems. ∑ Survey forms released to attendees and a request made for property owners to document stormwater related issues they experience on their property or in their street. ∑ An upgrade to the central Wairere Road stormwater outlet is planned and there will be a resource consent process for obtaining consent for this discharge to the beach.
Cr Seymour Because of the expense of original proposal, was the provision/cost of the pipeline vs full cost or every property connecting considered. Engineering and Works Manager said yes but this was not financially feasible.
Public Reticulation – Has the Council made the final decision not to reticulate Wainui/Okitu? Engineering and Works Manager Yes - The community may want reticulation in the long-term future but there is no new reticulation proposal within the LTCCP (a 10 year plan). GDC staff are not working on any proposal. Public More people may have been in favour of connection if GDC funded the installation of putting in the sewer? Engineering and Works Manager Funding would have to be met by the community who would have had the benefit from the utility. Public Was the Sewage Subsidy Scheme (SWSS) considered similar to the application made for the Mahia community? Engineering and Works Manager Yes but the Subsidy Scheme was/is oversubscribed and Wainui population is too big to be considered for any substantial subsidy, Wainui would be deemed part of City under the subsidy criteria. Public The community and the meeting is for looking at the future on-site wastewater not the rejected reticulation proposal. Chief Executive There is no LTCCP provision for reticulation. GDC will not abandon but will acknowledge when clusters of properties or individual properties may require other options of wastewater management. Engineering and Works Manager Makorori Beach could potentially be a possible cluster that requires more attention. Public Is there any scheme for replacement of on-site wastewater systems? Engineering and Works Manager GDC will be putting this type of proposal back to community.
Public Do pump out operators report on performance on septic systems? EHO - They do report to the owners of the systems they service. The Discharges Plan is the mechanism for managing the performance of on-site wastewater systems. If we can develop maintenance/reporting schemes with the community under this plan, septic tank cleaning operators may be suited for the inspection and reporting process. Sustainable wastewater management relies on good design for good performance. GDC is looking for ways of working with community to agree on ways of dealing with aging systems and the replacement or upgrade of systems. GDC currently has an environmental monitoring programme. This programme could be enhanced and increased to better measure over time the impact of wastewater discharges in the environment. Chief Executive Where to next – What steps for moving toward sustainable on-site wastewater management and when. EHO ∑ Consent monitoring – early 2009 a monitoring period will be completed for all current discharge to land resource consents to check compliance ∑ Discharges Plan – in the first quarter of 2009 the initial process to review the chapter for on-site domestic wastewater management will begin ∑ Adequate Design Process for systems is fundamental to sustainable on-site wastewater management. There is scope to include greywater recycling, composting toilets and other less traditional design scopes within the GDC On-site Wastewater Design Guidelines. These will be reviewed at the same time as the Discharges Plan. Accountability and Expectations ∑ Existing systems must function properly under peak demand and when adverse conditions exist such as saturated ground or elevate ground water ∑ There is no longer a proposal for a community off-site disposal option; expectation is that owners will take responsibility and upgrade systems they know have inadequate function ∑ Owners will be held accountable for replacing inadequate systems, meeting resource consent conditions, and eventually for ensuring adequate servicing and maintenance of systems. Public Wastewater sludge removed during servicing goes to the GDC Treatment Plant. Residents should pay a small contribution to City Scheme because they use it too. It is acknowledged that the percentage of cost Wainui/Okitu residents will pay is yet to be decided on by GDC following a public consultation process. Environment & Planning Manager The Plan Change 37 relating to a minimum size to be retained for subdivision section size and therefore housing density was withdrawn with the decision not to reticulated Wainui/Okitu. The Urban Coastal Strategy has lead to the Urban Design Strategy a planning project to address controls for maintaining the special character. The Urban Design Project includes things such as plantings of trees development of paths within the community areas – Copies of the draft Urban Design Strategy are available from GDC. Public Query regarding who the stakeholders were for Urban Design Strategy development Environment & Planning Manager ∑ Initially health service providers, schools, business, government etc. But the Draft is open for commenting on by the general public as well. ∑ The proposed Urban Design Strategy will go forward for a full public consultation process at the same time as the LTCCP in early 2009. ∑ There are many definitions for the City Boundary – for example Wainui/Okitu are part of the Gisborne City Ward for Local Government electoral purposes ∑ For the Urban Design Strategy Wainui/Okitu has been considered as part of the wider Gisborne Urban area and the wider community. Public Could there be a Wainui Beach Urban Strategy? Were there any key stakeholders at Wainui/Okitu? Who decided that Wainui/Okitu is within the Gisborne Urban boundary?
Environment & Planning Manager There was no specific Wainui based organisation in initial drafting processes. There is still opportunity to invite/consult specifically in the Wainui area. Urban area defined in the District Plan is different to that used in Draft Urban Strategy because they are for different purposes. . Public A glossary for definitions for urban boundaries would be useful attached to all GDC consultation documents. A leadership suggestion is for GDC to standardised terms and definitions across all GDC documents to make it easier for public to make submissions etc. Chief Executive The proposed Strategy is an expression of GDC and the community to develop Gisborne City. Environment & Planning Manager The proposed Strategy is also an opportunity for community to discuss more with Council. Public There is concern about lack of community meetings on the strategy draft and on the city urban boundary moved to Makorori headland. How are land owners with land still to develop being accommodated because it is acknowledged that there are still areas that could be developed for residential use in Wainui/Okitu? How is this occurring? Environment & Planning Manager Currently all activities including development are controlled by provisions in the District Plan. There are options for landowners to apply for private plan changes for example to rezone land. The Council’s decision not to reticulate Wainui/Okitu with sewers and water stands. Public One speaker said he was not against development but against community paying for any infrastructure etc. Environment & Planning Manager The Council has recently introduced policy for development contributions so a fund can be accumulated for paying for replacement infrastructure. . Public There have been boundary changes in the past for the area from County to City and change of rating areas. The speaker supported the Wainui/Okitu area being part of city due to general use of city systems and services.
Public Query on what and how GDC Community Consultation will be continued now on the sustainable wastewater issues since the decision from Council to reject the community collaboration proposal that was put forward. Chief Executive Area and issue based meetings the most likely mechanism. Also keeping the community informed through the ‘Beach Life’ Magazine would be valuable. Cr Seymour An explanation was provided about the decision not to support an elected community Liaison Group. There has been a lot of Council consultation over time with the community that did not require the formation of an elected community group. The Council decided on area specific meetings not to divide community but to address various issues for various sites The Council focus is to continue to consult with all community in traditional method rather than with a mandated group. Public The proposal for community elected group to form collaboration with GDC was to enhance the promotion of community meetings and information flow not to be the voice for or the only group consulted within the local community. The existing and traditional method of consultation was not working. An example was at this meeting intended for Okitu residents, only about ten Okitu people were present the others were all from other parts of Wainui community. Chief Executive Closing – The Intention is to continue working with community for sustainable on-site wastewater management and other key GDC work programmes.
Meeting Closed 7:30 pm | ||
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