Background – It was the vision of the Chelsea Regional Park
Association to protect the Uruamo Headland from Kauri Point to Chelsea as one great urban park for the people of Auckland.
An agreement for the sale of buffer land surrounding the sugar works fell short of protecting the refinery site.
Dec 2005 – NZ Sugar Company Ltd and Chelsea Park Trust announced the conditional sale of 36.7 hectares of parkland for $20 million, subject to the following conditions:-
- Chelsea Sugar are able to continue operating on the present 24/7 basis.
- Chelsea Park Trust obtaining funds to complete the purchase.
- Quote: “That in the unlikely event the refinery was relocated, a suitable pattern of land use for the refinery site is in place for the future.”
Apr 2006 – $100 million upgrade in capacity of CSR’s sugar refining plant in Melbourne is announced in “The Age”
- Chelsea Mixed Use Overlay Plan Change 16 (incl 527 residential units) was notified to the Public.
- Public meetings regarding Plan Change 16 attracted
large numbers of concerned residents.
May 2006 – Submissions for Plan Change 16 closed 5th May.
Over 500 submissions were received.
Aug 2006 – Submissions were summarised and released for
further submission.
Sep 2006 – Further Submissions closed friday 29th
Feb 2007 – Hearing for plan change 16 (Chelsea) is scheduled for Tues 20 to Thurs 22 February
Feb 12 2007 – Chelsea withdraws detailed plan. The original application for plan change 16 has been amended by deleting the detail planning maps suggesting where buildings would be sited, dispensing with the “Chelsea mixed use overlay area and plan” and introducing the alternative of the “Chelsea future use and conservation zone”
Feb 26 & 27 2007– Bruce & Virginia Stainton, Carol Scott, Douglas Love, Heather Nicholson, Scott Cordes, Geoff Sawyer and Penny Hext made submissions at the hearing.
Mar 8 2007 – Submitters opposed to the Chelsea Sugar Refinery plan change get a second chance to have their views heard because hearing commissioners say an article in the New Zealand Herald could have been misinterpreted.
Nov 2 2007 – The Hearing Commissioners’ decision on submissions (including further submissions) to the Proposed (Private) Plan Change 16 – Chelsea Mixed Use Overlay Area and Plan is released.