Welcome to Grey Lynn News for August 2020. Grey Lynn Park developments, Plan Change 26, street trees, a leopard seal sighting near Coxs Bay! And more…
Grey Lynn News #1…
What’s happening in Grey Lynn Park?
Our big local park was a haven for us all during lockdown and we’re all keen to see it well looked after and thriving.
Waitematā Local Board member Adriana Alverado Christie and Auckland Council Area Operations Manager Mark Miller kindly answered our questions.
Grey Lynn News #2…
Plan Change 26 – which rules apply in Special Character areas?
GLRA has submitted on Proposed Plan Change 26 and by the time you read this, we will also have attended the hearing.
So, what’s Plan Change 26 all about and why is it needed?
Well, that’s a long and complicated story that goes back to the way the way the Unitary Plan was formulated and how it has been interpreted.
Grey Lynn News #3…
Waitematā Local Board Plan
Our Local Board has released its plan for the ward for the next year and wants residents in the area (which runs from Parnell to Westmere) to tell it whether they think it has got things right.
It contains some excellent ideas for increasing tree coverage, cycleways and sustainability. We urge you to read it and let the Board know what you think.
Go to https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/waitemataplan by August 13 and have your say.
Grey Lynn News #4…
Street trees
And speaking of tree cover, a recent NZ Herald story reported estimates that as much as a third of Auckland’s urban tree cover was lost between 2013 and 2016.
That’s quite shocking. We all know that trees absorb carbon, offer wildlife corridors and soften the urban environment with their beauty and shade on hot summer days.
One of the best ways to get trees back is to plant in our parks and along our road verges. Does your street need more trees? Perhaps some of the existing trees are in poor health, or one was removed and was never replaced?
You can contact the Council Call Centre to log a request for a planting on (09) 301 0101 or via the council website www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
But given Council funding cutbacks since COVID-19 this might be a long wait. Perhaps you and your neighbours could put some funding together and plant them yourselves?
Just check with the Council arborist team first about which species are best for your street.
Grey Lynn News #5…
Leopard seal sighting
Finally, one of the upsides of lockdown was seeing so many locals out and about in our parks and enjoying quieter, car-free streets.
Sightings of kererū and even a kākā were reported in Grey Lynn, but it’s the story of a leopard seal near Coxs Bay that’s intrigued us the most.
Apparently, it may have been Owha who prefers Aotearoa to the Antarctic and is known to be especially fond of marinas. If you happen to see Owha, her friends at leopardseals.org would love to know about it.
You might like to include in this the need for the return of Tree Protection to Auckland. Mayor Phil Goff has recently written to Minister David Parker again asking for this. This letter and the letters that they each sent can be found in a Facebook search #BringBackTreeProtection
There were many trees removed over lockdown claiming to be ‘essential services’
Western Springs Forest update can be seen in the Ponsonby News
A public meeting will be held 4pm Sunday 16 August at Grey Lynn RSC