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Lessons Learnt

Figure 10

Detached family home.

Figure 11

Detached family home.

Figure 12

Detached family home.

 

As with any large-scale development, knowledge is gained as the project progresses. One of the lessons learnt from this project, from the perspective of the developer, was that the masterplan should be completed before construction begins. In this project, the first stage of the development began before the masterplan had been finalised. As a result, many issues required greater input and negotiation than the developer had first appreciated. On a project of this significance, communication is critical and must involve an open, collaborative process between the developer and the council. In this instance, it would have been more transparent and straightforward for both parties (the developer and the Council) if the masterplan had been finalised and used to form the structure for resource consent from the outset of the development.

McConnell Property realise they under-estimated the complexity of this type of development and this was a major learning experience. This was in part because of Resource Management Act 1991 consenting issues and current thinking in urban design, versus standard practice in subdivision. Had some of the critical infrastructure issues, like stormwater management and the location of roads, been addressed at the beginning of the development, the regulatory processes would have been more efficient. These elements require both the developer and council to agree on research and works programmes early on and to work together to achieve them.

The Papakura District Council has been expanding its urban design capacity and capability to respond to the intensive residential development of Addison. From the beginning of the project, they did not have a clear idea of all the issues pertaining to medium–high density housing. The Papakura District Council standards have thus been formed in tandem with the development process. For example, the Council now has a clear idea of the size and scale of parks and reserves that work as usable public spaces in housing developments of this nature, and generally is much more able to provide input into the process. In a medium-density development, public open space needs to function, not only for amenity but also as an extension of private outdoor space, therefore the size, shape and location of such space is important.

From an urban design perspective, the developers feel they could have created better physical connections through to Porchester Road at the beginning of the development. While in the long term, Porchester Road will be the principal north–south central spine road, at this stage it forms the western edge of the site. At present, a fence fronts Porchester Road, beyond which is the rear of a row of houses. From a development and more specifically an urban design perspective, it would have been better to build some of the proposed houses fronting the road at an early stage in the development process. Similarly, some of the first houses built back onto Walters Road, rather than fronting the road. This has been a poor outcome in urban design terms because the rear fences are presented to the Walters Road street frontage.

Rear lanes are used widely for accessing the terrace houses. The Papakura District Council has expressed concern about whether these lanes are an appropriate urban design solution in the New Zealand context. As stated in ‘Custodianship’ above, both parties have subsequently developed a set of 13 criteria that help assess rear lane access to terrace housing.

The Addison development was designed as a transit-oriented development. The cycle lanes provided throughout were intended to connect to the once proposed Glenora railway station. This is great in principle, but fails because the development has preceded viable public transport by several years, thereby creating a car dependency that will be difficult to change in the future.

Although it is still early in the development process (with only 255 dwellings either completed or under construction), some people perceive the development and, the buildings especially, as being too uniform. From an urban design perspective, the ‘legibility’ (ability to read) of the development could be improved through increased choices in the design, housing typology, and materials and colour of the built form.

The Papakura District Council is still working on how the ‘public’ spaces, such as parks, streets and roads, will be managed in the future as a result of the number and size of these spaces. The Council is particularly interested in managing the equity in services for the district as a whole.

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