The exchange of part of Margan Reserve for other land is now open for submissions to the Auckland Council until November 16.   Save the Margan Reserve Pohutukawa and The Tree Council recommend OPPOSING the proposal.  Please add your voice to ours by going on the Auckland Council Have your say website:

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/have-your-say/topics-you-can-have-your-say-on/proposed-land-exchange-margan-reserve/Pages/default.aspx

We recommend OPPOSING the proposal on the following grounds:     

This significant  green belt reserve must remain intact:                                                            

• Six Pohutukawa and thirteen Mexican pine – a total of nineteen trees - are proposed to be removed for a road into the Avanda housing development site. This represents 12% of the total Reserve which “is not an insignificant amount in terms of visual amenity or ecological value”, according to the Arboricultural Assessment ( Peers Brown Miller Ltd. )
• These Pohutukawa and Mexican pine growing in a greenbelt adjacent to Margan Avenue are protected trees.  They are in an area designated Open Space- Conservation Zone (or Reserve.) This is a valued community asset - the benefits and services provided by established trees and green space are recognised as being integral to healthy urban living.
•  These trees provide a visual and noise screen for users and residents of Margan Avenue.  This screen is all the more important due to the intensification of the Avanda development (1800 units in Stage 1 and planned multi-storied buildings in Stage 2.)

•  These trees also provide an important fauna habitat and green corridor for birds moving between the Waitakere Ranges and other green spaces in the city and offshore islands.
•  In December 2015 fourteen Pohutukawa were felled at the western end of the reserve by the developer Avanda. These were trees that were planted in three rows parallel to Margan Avenue, as are the Pohutukawa in the reserve, and so were deliberately planted.  They were not protected as they were on private land.

• The ecological significance of the remaining greenbelt (the reserve ) is of great merit and the impact of reducing it further is not acceptable.
•  Fragmentation of ecological units like this reserve into smaller pieces increases the edge effects of all the remaining pieces, which allows greater intrusion of weeds and pests and reduces the ecological capacity and sustainability of the whole unit. Small pieces provide very little quality habitat due to the overwhelming edge effects from all sides.

• Use of the reserve for roading contravenes the purpose of the Reserves Act which protects greenspaces and this protection is what the public expects. This is why the Local Board has to recommend revoking the Reserve status of the land to be exchanged.

The suitability of the Avanda land to be exchanged and to potentially become reserve:

• The Avanda land to be exchanged is a long (66.6m) strip from the eastern end of the reserve to the eastern boundary of Avanda land.  It is only 6.2m wide whereas the reserve is approximately 18m wide.  This limited width severely limits any scope for planting or recreational use. It is too narrow to be of any ecological value because the edge effects will reach right across the strip from both sides.

• The strip of Avanda land to be incorporated into the remaining reserve lacks any ecological value. It consists of privet, acacia and pine with a dense weed understorey.

• Vegetation in this strip is characterised by woody weed species and represents a liability to Council in terms of the cost of restoration.

The impact of further traffic flows on Margan Avenue :

• Margan Avenue already suffers from traffic congestion at peak times. Traffic is backed up between the Astley Avenue roundabout at the eastern end and the Rankin Avenue roundabout at the western end. There is a primary school located at the Rankin Avenue roundabout.

• New intensive housing developments such as this one should be encouraging increased use of public transport to aid in reducing the traffic congestion on Auckland’s roading infrastructure.  Construction of a road connection onto Margan Avenue will achieve the opposite and encourage private vehicle use by the new residents of the Avanda development.

• Access between the Avanda development and the town centre already exists from Rankin Avenue and should be extended through Clinker Place to Astley Avenue and Clark Street.

• In the event the proposal for an access through to Margan Avenue is considered, then the road footprint width (19.6m) could be accommodated on Avanda property    (28m to the nearest reserve fragment to the east.) This would keep the reserve intact.

Relief Sought:

In the event that the proposal is accepted, The Tree Council would like to request the following relief is granted:

• The exchanged strip to be incorporated into the reserve is restored with native planting and all weed species are removed.  This removal must happen in a phased manner, so that all vegetation is not removed at once.

• The remaining Pohutukawa on the Avanda property private land at the eastern end are protected in perpetuity and identified as protected in the Auckland Council Unitary Plan and on the title of the properties once sold.

• The exchanged strip of land and the rest of the Reserve are maintained free of weeds by Avanda in perpetuity.

• In mitigation for the loss of the nineteen trees and habitat in the Reserve, planting be undertaken by Avanda of a minimum of fifty seven Pohutukawa in another location on public land in the Whau Local Board area to be protected in perpetuity.

                         THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.