Fire bylaw expires

By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded

through NZ On Air.

Auckland Council has decided its bylaw on indoor domestic fires has become obsolete and therefore, won’t be renewed when it expires next year.

The bylaw was introduced in 2017 to address issues such as public nuisance caused by indoor fire smoke, prohibited fuels and suitable design of indoor fireplaces.

Wet wood, painted wood, fuel with a high sulphur content and green waste that could cause an increase in smoke production were all banned under the bylaw. Last term, policy advisor Chelsea Majoor said prohibited fuels regulations under the bylaw were impossible to enforce as compliance staff would need to be invited into Aucklanders homes.

Majoor says the bylaws impact is negligible. “The bylaw is not needed to address public nuisance – this is because the Auckland Unitary Plan is used instead and it has more effective enforcement powers,” Majoor said.

For a property owner to install a solid fuel heating system like a fireplace they need building consent. In order to get consent, the appliance must comply with design standards under the Resource Management Act’s National Environmental Standards for Air Quality (NESAQ).

Since September 2005, the NESAQ has prohibited discharge of particles to air from a woodburner on a property of less than two hectares and any older installations must discharge less than 1.5 gram of particles for each kilogram of dry wood burnt. Open fires, pellet burners, multifuel burners, wood-burning cooking stoves and coal-burning heaters are missed under the NESAQ, which is where the bylaw was used to cover the gap.

The Air Quality Bylaw for Indoor Domestic Fires 2017 will expire on May 25 next year.

Arvida assessing its options for senior living site

One of New Zealand’s leading retirement village operators, Arvida Group, is the company behind the recent purchase of the large block of land just north of Warkworth known as Paddisons Farm.

Arvida already owns and runs 35 senior living communities housing 6750 residents throughout New Zealand, including its nearest village, the Peninsula Club at Stanmore Bay, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

General manager of development Jonathan Ash says now they’ve bought the 55 hectare roadside site just south of Warkworth Golf Club, work will begin on deciding exactly how it will be divided and developed.

“The purchased land is a very large area and at this stage we’re working through the best retirement community location and a range of options for the land,” he says.

Ash says wherever it is sited, the retirement village will include a mix of independent living and a range of care options, plus communal areas for residents to enjoy. Whatever final development mix is decided upon, Arvida will need to work around planning constraints. At present, around 45% of the land is designated as Future Urban, with the rest zoned Mixed Rural. A private plan change would be needed to unlock the land for significant residential development, whether for a retirement village or otherwise, something that Ash says Arvida is currently investigating. “There are some planning constraints,” he says. “We are still working through the master planning to give us clarity on the best consenting pathway.”

Arvida chief executive Jeremy Nicoll says the land’s proximity to main roads and the motorway, as well as popular east coast destinations, makes it the perfect location for an Arvida community.

“It’s exciting to be adding to our 35 communities and sharing our mission of improving the lives of New Zealanders by transforming the ageing experience,” he says. “We look forward to the planning of a new modern and vibrant retirement community that will enable us to bring our ‘Arvida Attitude of Living Well’ to Warkworth.”

Once initial development plans are finalised, Arvida envisages that construction is likely to begin in 2026.

Meanwhile, 14.75 hectares of development land across the road from Paddisons Farm was due to have been sold by April 12. However, Bayleys Warkworth commercial agent Chris Blair would not comment on whether it had sold or not as Mahurangi Matters went to press.

The land either side of the top of Te Honohono ki Tai Matakana link road was previously owned by the Membery family for more than 80 years. It is live-zoned for mixed urban residential housing, which could permit up to three dwellings per lot.