Proposal Update February 2018 - Auckland Council
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13. Proposal Update
February 2018Email - 7 February 2018
Vishal Chandra
From: Vern Warren
Sent: Wednesday, 7 February 2018 10:37 AM
To: Vishal Chandra
Cc: Kerseven Naidoo (kersevennaidoo@gmail.com)
Subject: LUC
Attachments: Chinmaya Mission NZ- What We Do (3).docx; Letter to Vishal Chandra summary of
proposal 5-02-2018.docx; Table 1 Activities 02 February 2018.docx
Good morning Vishal,
Attached are:
a letter providing a summary of the proposal as requested;
a statement from the Chinmaya Mission summarising what they do. This is particularly important cultural
background;
a revised table of activities. The activities have not changed but the nature and frequency of the activities is
clarified.
As to extension of timeframes, it is not clear what extension is being sought. My response is:
a) Prior to the decision that the application be notified made on 20 December 2017, I have no knowledge of the
times used by AC in processing or the times when the clock was stopped for s.92 requests. If you have such a
record, could you send a copy to me please.
b) For the time between the notification decision and today when the requested summary is being provided, I agree
that the clock can be stopped. Perhaps the best procedure here is that between those dates the application be
considered to be suspended pursuant to s.91A and recommenced today pursuant to s.91B.
Will that cover your concern?
Kind regards
Vern
Vern Warren Director
Planning Network Services Limited
Email: vwarren@planningnetwork.co.nz
Mobile: 021 950 476 | Phone: (09) 846 9584 | Fax: (09) 849 7742
97 Taylor Road, Waimauku, Auckland, New Zealand
PO Box 77-037, Mt Albert, Auckland 1350
www.planningnetwork.co.nz
1Chinmaya Mission New Zealand
63, McKenzie Road, Mangere Bridge, Auckland - 2022. Tel: +64 9 2756954
Email: hariom@chinmaya.org.nz Website: http://www.chinmaya.org.nz
Date: 05 February 2018
To whom it may concern
What We Do
Hindu religious organisations fall into 3 categories as per the Hindu religious paths, i.e.:
the path of action. This is the path of social work such as poverty alleviation, literacy
programs, etc.
The second path is the path of devotion of which temple worship is the main activity.
The 3rd path is the path of knowledge & understanding of which the main activity is the
study, teaching & understanding of Hindu culture & the scriptures such as Bhagavat Gita,
Upanishads, etc. Chinmaya Mission NZ belongs to the 3rd category, of knowledge and
teaching.
Our weekly knowledge & learning activities for children, youth & adults are all classroom based.
Being a non temple based organisation we still do observe & celebrate the major Hindu festivals
as per the Hindu calendar but our celebrations are very low key as most Hindus attend the
numerous temples in Auckland, as per the tradition. Our target audiences for these ‘minor’
celebrations are participants of our study groups, but it is still open to the public.
Our song, dance & drama events by the children & youth are demonstrations of what has been
learnt in the classroom. Again, although these events are open to the public our target
audiences are parents, family, and friends of the learners. Our public seminars too target
parents, family & friends of learners, and is also open to the public.
Major public seminars by visiting teachers/Gurus are held at bigger public venues such as the
Dorothy Winstone Centre.
Because of the limited capacity at our Mangere Centre, attendance for all our activities &
events, although not mandatory, do require pre-registration & is most preferred. People are
made aware of this in our publicity campaigns. Our publicity campaigns for events at our
Mangere centre is very low key, again because of limited capacity.
A big component of Hindu study & learning is contemplation & meditation, which requires a
quiet atmosphere, & because of this silence is promoted, encouraged, & managed by the
volunteers for all activities, inside & outside the classroom.
With Kind Regards
Mr Kerseven Naidoo
_______________________
Board Secretary
021 02039739
www.chinmaya.org.nz5 February 2018 Auckland Council Resource Consents Manager South Attention: Vishal Chandra By email: Vishal Chandra Dear Vishal Chandra, LUC60291326 – SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL AND REASONS CONSENT IS REQUIRED In this letter I present a current summary of the proposal and reasons resource consent is required. This is for administrative convenience and confirmation of the current position. It does not include any significant change to the proposal. In addition I attach an updated table of activities with some additional cultural information. There is nothing new in the activities that would not otherwise be a normal part of community centre activities. This revised table includes some additional information about frequency of the activities to provide a better context for assessment of effects. Subdivision For the avoidance of doubt, I confirm that the subdivision aspect of the application has been withdrawn. Summary of proposal It is proposed to construct and operate a community centre with a capacity of up to 230 persons. The single storey building will include a main hall/dining space with a stage along with foyer, bathrooms, kitchen, library, storage, office, two green rooms and five studios (class or meeting rooms).The Centre will be used primarily for cultural and devotional learning purposes including courses, talks and cultural events. Cultural events include devotional meetings to celebrate key dates in the Hindu calendar while concerts and drama will mainly be performed by students associated with the learning courses. Concerts may include singing, dancing, amplified music and live bands. 50 on site car parking spaces and a loading bay will be provided. Vehicular access is from McKenzies Road and pedestrian access is from McKenzies Road and Korimako Avenue. Site development includes earthworks and extensive landscaping is proposed. An undeveloped area at the rear of the site will be landscaped with lawns and planting and any future consideration for development of it will require a fresh application for resource consent. Overall, resource consent is required as a restricted discretionary activity.
2
Cultural context
It is important to understand the cultural context of this proposal. The applicant, Chinmaya
Mission, is a world-wide Hindu religious educational organisation. Attached is a statement from
the Mission about its purpose and where it fits into the three main paths of Hindu religious
organisations.
From the attached statement, the three main pathways are:
The path of action. This is the path of social work such as poverty alleviation, literacy
programs, etc.
The second path is the path of devotion of which temple worship is the main activity.
The 3rd path is the path of knowledge & understanding of which the main activity is the
study, teaching & understanding of Hindu culture & the scriptures. This is the Chinmaya
Mission pathway and the community centre is proposed as the venue for its
programmes.
Type of Activity
I confirm that the proposal fits most neatly into the Unitary Plan definition of community centre
– which is very broad for the following reasons:
a) There is a strong devotional aspect. Whilst not a temple, devotional practices will be
observed;
b) The courses are not part of regular formal education, but promote religious and cultural
knowledge and practices;
c) The activities include cultural performances including singing, dancing and drama largely
as demonstrations by students of the skills learned in the various knowledge
programmes.
Reason Resource consent is required
There is no change to the list of reasons resource consent is required as set out in the notification
decision of Commissioner Kaye. For convenience they are repeated below.
Auckland Unitary Plan Part Operative Version 15 November 2016
• Rule E12.4.1(A6) requires restricted discretionary activity consent for the area of
2 2
land disturbance that is greater than 2,500m with a total area of 3,396m
proposed.
• Rule E12.4.1(A8) requires restricted discretionary activity consent for the volume of
3 3
land disturbance that is greater than 250m with a total volume of 551m proposed.
• Rules E27.4(A2) and E27.6.2.5(T102) require restricted discretionary activity consent
for shortfall of one bicycle parking space when seven spaces are required at a rate of 1
2 2
per 200m gross floor area for short term and 1 per 500m gross floor area for long
term with six spaces are proposed.
• Rules E27.4(A2) and E27.6.4.3.2(T153) require restricted discretionary activity consent
for not meeting the minimum width requirement for a vehicle crossing at the site
boundary of 6m for two way traffic, with 5m proposed.
• Rules E27.4(A2) and E27.6.4.3.2(T153) require restricted discretionary activity
consent for not providing the minimum access width of 5.5m for two way traffic
movements with 5m proposed.3
• Rules E27.4(A2) and E27.6.4.3.2(T153) require restricted discretionary activity consent
for not providing a pedestrian path of a minimum width of 1.5m, with a pedestrian
path of 1.0m in width proposed along the driveway.
• Rules E27.4(A2) and E27.6.3.1(1)(d) require restricted discretionary activity
consent for a car park that is not available at all times for use given the stacked
parking arrangement for two parking spaces located adjacent to the care takers
residence.
• Rules E27.4(A2) and E27.6.3.3(1) require restricted discretionary activity consent for
the parking spaces referenced P11 and P12 which do not meet the tracking curve and
require multiple manoeuvring out of those parking spaces.
• Rule E36.4.1(A37) requires restricted discretionary activity consent for construction
of new structures within a 1 percent annual exceedance probability flood plain.
National Environmental Statement for assessing and managing contamination in soils for Public
Health 2011
• Remediation of historic horticultural spray contamination qualifies as a permitted activity
under the NES. There is some uncertainty whether there may be some small asbestos
contamination from the removal of glasshouses. A precautionary approach will,
therefore, be taken to site works.
Vern Warren
DirectorTable 1: Schedule of activities
Weekdays (Monday to Weekends (Saturday and
Friday) Sunday)
Time Max Occupancy Time Max Occupancy 2018 programme
2017 New Target 2017 New Target Date Day Event Type frequency Activity character
Festivals
Guruji’s 4pm-7pm 50 100 30 Jun Sat Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
birthday
Guru 7pm-9pm 50 100 27 Jul Fri Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
Poornima
Gurudev’s 7pm-9pm 50 100 3 Aug Fri Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
Mahasamadhi
Krishna 4pm-7pm 50 100 2 Sep Sun Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
Janmashtami
Ganesh 4pm-7pm 50 100 25 Aug Sat Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
Chaturthi
Laxmi pooja 7pm-9pm 50 100 1 Nov Thur Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
Diwali 7pm-9pm 50 100 7 Nov Wed Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
Ayyappa 4pm-7pm 50 100 13 Jan Sat Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
bhajans
Hanuman 4pm-7pm 50 100 24 Mar Sat Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
chalisa
Gurudev’s 7pm-9pm 50 10 May Thur Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns
jayanti
Events
JC workshop 10am- 4pm 30 100 19 May Sat Registration 3 per year Seminar
only
Geeta 4pm-6pm 30 100 6 Oct Sat Registration 1 per year Hymns
chanting only
Jr Balvihar day 10am-4pm 30 100 7 Apr Sat Registration 1 per year Arts & crafts, games
camp only
Matru pooja 4pm-6pm 30 100 19 May Sat Registration 1 per year Songs, Hymns
only
Children’s 4pm-6pm 30 100 19 Aug Sun Public 1 per year Songs, Hymns, Drama & Dance
drama/play
Talks
Morning talks 7am- 40 100 23-26 Apr Public 3 per year Seminar & meditation
8.30am
Classes
Children, 5-8 4pm- 40 80 Sat Registration weekly Songs, Hymns, Learning
years 5.30pm only
Children, 9-12 4pm- 40 80 Sat Registration weekly Songs, Hymns, discussion group
years 5.30pm only
Youth, 13-17 7am-9pm 20 80 Sat Registration weekly Learning, discussion group
years onlyYoung adult, 7pm-9pm 40 50 Thur Registration weekly discussions
18-28 years only
Adult 4pm- 20 40 Sun Registration weekly discussions
5:30pm only
Library
Opening hours 10am- None 10 4pm- None Public Open throughout the year at
11am 5.30pm stated hours
New Planned Activities for New Community Centre
Drama/Concerts Max Max Date Event Type Frequency Activity Character
Occupants Occupancy
Musical 7pm-9pm 200 Sep & Oct Sat Public 2 per year Song, Drama & Dance
concerts
Youth 7am-9pm 200 Sep & Oct Sat Public 2 per year Song, Drama & Dance
drama/plays
Talks
Evening talks 7:00pm- 200 Apr, July, Oct, Dec Public 4 per year Seminar
08:30pm
Morning talks 7am- 60 Apr, July, Oct, Dec Public 4 per year Seminar & meditation
08:30am Apr
Notes
1. Hindu religious activities fall into three main streams:
Temple based. These are primarily religious including meditation, worship and celebration. Each temple community usually focuses on a particular deity (or deities)
and may follow the teachings of a particular guru. Temple programmes may also include teaching and social elements as well as pastoral support for adherents;
Knowledge based. These activities focus on individual growth through knowledge and education grounded in religious belief and include education and practice of
religious and cultural knowledge leading to personal growth and understanding.
Action based. These are community projects or ‘good works’ and may include for example, medical support, housing, education etc. at home or abroad.
2. Inevitably, there will be overlap between these three streams. The Chinmaya Mission community centre is knowledge based and hence all of the activities in the above
table have an educational purpose. However there is also a strong devotional content.3. The musical concerts and the youth drama/plays activities are presented by the members of the various classes in the activity schedule and are designed as demonstrations of what the students have learned. The audience will consist, almost entirely, of family members. They are not popular entertainments mounted to attract a wider paying audience. 4. All of the activities in the above table, except for the “New planned activities” section already occur. It will be noted that the lower participation figures reflect 2017 actual attendances. The Target occupancy is a best estimate of what may be achieved in the new community centre building. 5. “Public” simply means that there is no limit other than the capacity of the centre. This is not dissimilar to churches where anyone may attend activities (except where by registration) but the challenge is to attract enough people to even approach capacity. 6. The Festivals may all be described as devotional celebrations of key events in the Hindu religious calendar. Here there is overlap with similar celebrations in various temples around Auckland. They are included in the Mission Community Centre to meet the needs of those who participate in the Centre programmes and to provide an appropriate spiritual underpinning for the centre. Vern Warren 02 February 2018
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