Takaka homeowners fear Variation 57 will devalue town
More than a few Takaka township residents are up in arms at TDC's passing of Variation 57 to the District's Resource Management Plan, preventing "the further expansion of the Takaka urban area, where that land is affected by flood hazard potential".
Residents in the lower parts of Takaka are correctly assuming that it will seriously affect their ability to gain building consents and subdivide, effectively devaluing large areas of the town.
Understandably, those going to be most affected are speaking out the loudest. Former councillor and Waitapu Road resident Paul Sangster called for the issue to be debated at a public meeting, which 32 residents attended on Saturday 22 November.
"Surely the TDC should just be building up the stopbank at the top of town and ensuring floor levels of new homes that get built are much higher than flood levels. There hasn't been the slightest discussion about Takaka stopbanks in any of their recent meetings. Putting more restrictions on townsfolk who have lived here for generations is how they're tackling it."
Representing TDC at the meeting, Cr Stuart Borlase did agree that disputing it in the Environment Court was perhaps going to the best way to settle the issue, but warned: "Takaka township residents do have to come to grips, though, with the fact that ‘concentrated storm events', such as those Manawatu has experienced, are inevitable in our future also. Takaka is built on a flood plain, simple as that; it isn't wise to let the traditional ‘footprint' of the town get any denser. If home and landowners can prove they were never affected by past floods, then council will certainly still look at their plans. The purpose of Variation 57 isn't so much to prohibit people from building, it's to provide an alternative."
That alternative is changing the zoning (from rural to residential) of the land around Park Avenue and the recreation park, which is not only above the flood plain, but has lower grade C and D soils and is flat and close enough to the existing township to be pedestrian-friendly.
Takaka resident Paul Sangster say no one disagrees with this sideways expansion of the town. "But why should they be penalising existing residents at the same time? TDC aren't applying this rule to low-lying Queen Street and Motueka residents. We deserve the same protection from adequate stopbanks that they enjoy. Closing a few hollows at the top of town would help tremendously. This should be the council's priority."
Cr Borlase admits that after flooding, people are often critical of council with regards to stopbanks and drains. "Everyone has an opinion but our hands are tied. The requirements from central government are both restrictive and prescriptive about what we can change in these areas. It's just not like the old days where we could decide locally to undertake massive earthworks."
Cr Borlase also emphasised that TDC hasn't suddenly sprung Variation 57 on everyone. "It went through three notified hearings and affected homeowners had the right to make submissions. The process has been happening for a long time."
Mr Sangster disagrees. "We made submissions about how to stop flooding entering the town. Just no one listened to them. Now we have to fight a battle about this ridiculous situation."
TDC resource scientist (rivers and coast) Eric Verstappen accepts that the issue will occupy residents' minds for some time yet. "No real detailed hazard mapping has yet been undertaken to define any ‘closed' zones as such. We do have a record of the July 1983 event including archives of aerial photos taken the day after, which definitely identify one or two prospective hazard areas in significant flow paths, but it's still reasonably case-by-case as far as planning goes."
The bottom line for low-lying Takaka residents seems to be that they will still be able to apply for building permits and subdivisions, including in-fill housing, but will definitely be discouraged by more rigorous resource consent applications, which won't come cheap. One recent survey (required under the Local Government Act) showed TDC's consent fees are now amongst the highest in the country. Conditions citing raised floors and strengthened foundations will no doubt be onerous. Built-up sections, like those for sale at the top end of Willow Street, apparently cost about $40,000 more to develop than the average straightforward section.
The council is making nothing easy, says Paul Sangster. "So much for affordable housing in Takaka."
Gerard Hindmarsh
