The purpose of the panel is not to delay projects or to create additional difficulties for developers. The idea is to provide urban design advice in a positive way that can assist in achieving a good design and help with any resource consent process. Panel members will be required to keep all information provided to them in their role confidential.
By supporting the Urban Design Panel, the Tasman District Council is looking to achieve great new well-designed buildings and open green spaces that work well and are well used by the people of Tasman.
While the panel can’t decide on Resource Consent applications, it can provide expert advice and clear recommendations on the design of the proposal and how it might be improved well before a resource consent application is made. Panel assessment may also be available for proposals which do not require resource consent.
Panel members will consider your project and provide constructive advice and a written report, including recommendations, within five days. Projects will be considered against best urban design practice and the urban design objectives and policies of the relevant Council. The panel may look at:
All developers who have projects with urban design significance are invited and encouraged to contact the relevant Council to seek advice from the Panel well before applying for resource consent or finalising the design. The panel will also consider any Council capital project that has significant urban design implications.
The Councils are offering the services of the Panel especially to developers of:
Attendance at the Urban Design Panel is voluntary and free. The Panel meets on demand and as required, subject to a minimum of two projects required for the councils to convene it. Developers who wish to appear before the panel should contact the representative at the appropriate Council.
A minimum of three weeks notice (15 working days) is required if you wish to present your design or development.
City Development Administrator - CityDevelopment@ncc.govt.nz
The specific information required from developers who wish to present to the panel is outlined in the Urban Design Panel checklist that can be downloaded below.
Submit the information to the panel administrator a minimum of two weeks (10 working days) before the panel’s meeting.
In general terms, your presentation to the panel should:
There is no charge if the development is considered by the panel prior to a resource consent or building consent being lodged.
The panel costs of considering presentations made after lodging a resource consent or building consent will be the responsibility of the applicant.
Graeme McIndoe, McIndoe Architects and Urban Designers, has significant qualifications and experience in architecture and urban design.
His qualifications are FNZIA, Registered architect, MA Urban Design (OxPoly), Dip. Urban Design (with distinction), BArch (with first class honours) and BBSc.
Graeme has over 27 years experience in architecture and urban design which has included a broad range of projects and activities in the public and private sectors which includes:
Graeme also has sat on and chaired urban design panels in Wellington and Auckland. He is the Chairperson of the Nelson Tasman Urban Design Panel.
David Sheppard's qualifications are BArch (Hons) MArch / MCP (Penn) FNZIA
After training in New Zealand and the United States, David worked on a range of large-scale projects in the United States and in Europe for several years before returning to New Zealand in 1975 to direct a major planning project near Christchurch.
In 1982 he formed Sheppard and Rout Architects with fellow architect Jonty Rout. In the ensuing years the practice has carried out a diverse range of projects throughout New Zealand and overseas, in architecture and urban design. Today the practice is one of the larger practices in the South Island and consults to numerous public as well as private clients.
David has directed the design and planning of projects in the residential, education, health, commercial, Foreign Affairs and urban design fields. He is the Deputy Chairperson of the Nelson Tasman Urban Design Panel.
Jane Black is an urban planner in Wellington. She has a Bachelor of Town Planning, is an accredited Independent Planning Commissioner and is a member of the NZ Planning Institute. She has over 20 years experience in urban planning and design, predominantly at local government level. This includes the development of strategies and policies to deliver good urban design and heritage outcomes, initiation and project management of key city projects and provision of design review of projects.
Jane has had an ongoing involvement in the Wellington Waterfront project for 20 years, in various roles starting as the planner responsible for its implementation through the planning process and later as Chair and member of the various forms of the design monitoring groups. She currently represents Wellington City Council on the Technical Advisory Group, the design review group for the waterfront project.
As an accredited Independent Commissioner Jane has been Commissioner on the Auckland City Council hearing for the Wynyard Qtr plan change and notices of requirement for the redevelopment of the City’s waterfront. She is also a Commissioner on resource consent and plan change hearings that have an urban design component in Wellington and Kapiti.
BA, Dip. LA, FNZILA, Registered NZILA Landscape Architect
With over 25 years experience in landscape architecture, Grant brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the panel. His business, Edge Landscape Projects Ltd encompasses a diverse portfolio of landscape architecture, urban design and project management work. He has previously worked for the Christchurch City Council’s Parks Department, London Docklands Development Corporation and professional consultancies.
He has extensive experience in liaising with developers and council staff, and engaging with the public, politicians and community groups.
Grant is a Fellow and Secretary of the NZ Institute of Landscape Architects.
Ian is the founding principal of Ian Jack Architects Ltd, now Irving Smith Jack Architects Ltd, Nelson’s oldest established architectural practice.
A longstanding concern over the impact of urban development on heritage led to Ian’s commissioning by the Nelson City Council to prepare design guidelines for the Nelson city. The approach taken represented a blend of concern for preservation of existing heritage with encouragement of appropriate new development which in the course of time will itself merit qualification for heritage status.
Ian’s many projects reflect a strong interest in the relationships between architecture, urban design, landscape and art. They include the foreshore redevelopment of Nelson’s Wakefield Quay and several prominent inner city buildings. The Nelson Visitor Information Centre involved a managing a collaboration between art and architecture to form a northern city gateway and riverside precinct. Ongoing commitments to contextual architecture have brought Ian numerous national and regional design awards.
Liz Gavin is a landscape architect with 11 years experience in landscape assessment, and has run her own business: Kidson Landscape Consulting Ltd for the past 6 years. In 2011 she joined forces with Luke Porter and Heidi Stewart to form Canopy, a landscape architectural company focusing on quality design and environmental outcomes. Prior to moving back home to Nelson, Liz was a member of the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) Urban Design Panel, representing a landscape architects perspective on best practice urban design. She has been the Principal: Landscape Architect for Civic Corporation Ltd (subcontracted to the QLDC), during which time she co-wrote the Rural Subdivision Design Guidelines for the Lakes District and was a facilitator in public workshops for local community plans.
She has experience in Environment Court Cases regarding Landscape Classification and resource consent applications. Liz has provided advice to the QLDC on assessment, policy, and design controls with regard to the formation of Zones including the Jacks Point Zone, Wanaka Transportation Study and the Mount Cardrona Station Rural Visitor Zone.
Her work in the South Island has provided her with a strong understanding of Resource Management issues. Since moving to Nelson she has provided evidence regarding the landscape classification of the coastal environment of the Tasman District that was successfully mediated in 2008 and provided landscape analysis for the Marsden Valley to Brook Structure Plan for the Nelson City Council. In 2009 she was involved in a peer review of Marlborough Landscape Study. Her recent work has involved resource consent applications in Marlborough, Richmond and on the West Coast.
Jackie McNae holds a Bachelor of Regional Planning (Hons) Degree from Massey University. She worked as a Planner with Waimea County Council/Tasman District Council from 1984 – 1990 and also as a Consultant Planner with Staig & Smith Ltd from 1991.
Jackie is a Director/Shareholder of Staig & Smith Ltd which is a multi-disciplined company providing consultancy services in surveying, land development, subdivision engineering design and resource management.
Jackie has provided a wide range of planning advice and evidence on behalf of a wide range of clients including corporate clients, territorial authorities, land developers and individuals.
The range of projects have included comprehensive residential developments, rural residential developments, tourist developments, industrial and commercial developments, as well as projects involving the coastal marine area such as aquaculture.
Her consultancy work involves being in in a wide range of multi-disciplined project teams for larger projects. Increasingly urban design issues including low impact designs for services such as stormwater have become a focus for the company.
Robin is an awarded landscape architect and urban designer with a distinguished history of practice on large scale, internationally significant sites in Sydney, Australia.
Whilst born in Nelson, New Zealand, Robin’s tertiary education and professional experience was predominantly in Australia. Robin holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Hons) from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Design (Urban Design) from Harvard University. She has lectured at UNSW, Sydney and following a move to New Zealand in 2002, joined Victoria University’s School of Design, where she was Program Director for Landscape Architecture.
Robin brings to the Nelson Tasman district extensive practice in urban design and landscape architecture including urban design co-ordination for OCA Olympics 2000, masterplanning of complex landscapes e.g. Sydney University Masterplan, design for housing, community consultation e.g. Mapua Waterfront Park, streetscapes and transport infrastructure projects. Robin is director of Robin Simpson Design Limited, based in Mapua. She is experienced on advisory panels having operated in the Design Review Panel for the Olympic 2000 Project, Sydney, and as a member of the panel guiding development of Wellington’s Waterfront since 2003. She is committed to contributing to the public domain, based on a philosophy that with good design, public spaces can be cultural, economic and environmental assets.
B Arch ANZIA, Registered Architect, Urban Designer
John has more than twenty years post graduate experience gained in New Zealand and the Pacific, and has specialist skills in Urban Design, Commercial, Healthcare and Social Housing solutions and has completed studies for a Post Graduate Diploma in Property Studies (Lincoln). He is experienced in user group facilitation, leading teams on large projects, and development planning / structure planning for large projects.
He was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Panel for the NZ Urban Design Protocol, and has had notable success originating development planning for Hobsonville and Talbot Park.
A Director of Jerram Tocker Barron Architects since 2004, he has experience in large commercial development, and has worked with Nelson City on the Nelson Richmond Intensification Study and the Nelson South / Richmond East Draft structure Plan.
David Wallace has practiced architecture in the Nelson Tasman area for over 20 years. He became a Director of Upstream Design Group in 1987 which merged with Min Hall Architects to form Arthouse Architecture Ltd in 2001. His work spans commercial, educational, tourism and residential projects.
The development of projects like the Moutere Hills Community Centre, Nelson’s Trafalgar Centre and currently a major upgrade of the Richmond Library have been lead by David and has involved much user group consultation. His listening, negotiating, and people skills have helped arrive at agreeable solutions.
David has prepared Design Guidelines for the Heritage Precincts in Nelson for Nelson City Council and also assisted in the preparation of Design Guidelines for the Wakefield Quay precinct. He has also worked with Nelson City Council on a feasibility study for the Performing Arts Centre and also has involvement with the development of Saxton Field.
David assisted Tasman District Council in the preparation of Design Guidelines for the Tākaka Hill and St Arnaud.
Greg is qualified in Urban Design, Planning and Surveying and has over 17 years experience in the built environment. He originally trained as a land surveyor and gained registration in the late 90’s before completing a Masters of Urban Design at Oxford Brookes during almost 10 years working in the UK and Ireland. Prior to joining AECOM in August 2011, Greg was Urban Design Manager at the Manukau Office of Harrison Grierson. He specialises in masterplanning, streetscapes, town centre revitalisation and technology in urban design practice.
He has recent experience in both the public and private sectors including representing Auckland Council in urban design review of resource consents and leading masterplanning of large scale plan changes for the private sector. His multi-disciplinary professional background provides a practical understanding of the complexity of layers that make a place work. In particular applying his international experience to create designs that are distinctive to New Zealand.
He was a member of the group that put together the award winning recently delivered national standards for Land Development and Subdivision Infrastructure NZS4404:2010 with a significant contribution to the extensively updated roading section. Greg is the Urban Design Champion for Towns and Cities New Zealand, and has presented at several industry conferences since returning to New Zealand and is active on the NZ Urban Design Forum.
