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Hi *|FNAME|*, Please find below Urban Development News from the media from the week of 1 October 2019.
Provided by Rockhopper
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Whenuapai airbase loses Environment Court noise complaint
A property developer has won a noise complaint case against the country's largest military airbase, prompting the Defence Minister to declare that urban sprawl may now be a "threat to our national security".
The Environment Court today released a decision ruling in favour of developer Neil Construction Ltd by issuing a declaration that Whenuapai airbase must comply with noise restrictions when it does late-night testing of aircraft engines.
The court, however, stopped short of halting the work – saying the Defence Force had 20 days to lodge an appeal before the ruling came into force and could keep working while it was considered.
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International hotel group Radisson signs up to manage its first NZ hotel
International hotel group, Radisson Hotel Group, has signed up to manage a planned 5-star luxury boutique hotel in Queenstown, paving the way for the launch of a new tourism fund.
It will be the first Radisson branded hotel in New Zealand, and will carry its top brand, Radisson Collection. It will be located in central Queenstown at 17-19 Man Street.
Kiwi property developer and investor Augusta Capital has announced the signing of the hotel management agreement, for a 15-year term, taking its planned hotel development a step forward.
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 Anzac St car park: High Court asked to review Auckland Council's decision to approve development
A proposed redevelopment of a car park on Auckland's North Shore could be about to take another turn — the decade-long saga now looks set to enter the court room.
On Wednesday, the Takapuna Residents' Association lodged an appeal with the High Court asking for a review of what it calls "serious flaws" during Auckland Council's approval for the regeneration of the Anzac St car park.
The group claimed councillors did not have the proper facts in front of them when they voted to move forward with the design from Panuku, Auckland Council's development arm, in July, instead of choosing another design or delaying for another month to allow further collaboration.
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Government seeks to address construction industry volatility with new contracting guidelines
New government procurement rules coming into force this week will help keep construction companies afloat by promoting better practices when awarding multi-million dollar construction projects, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Building and Construction Minister Jenny Salesa say.
Phil Twyford said the “lowest price model” approach used across the sector resulted in construction companies cutting costs and under cutting each other so intensely that some projects became financially unviable. “In the worst cases, companies collapsed before construction was completed, resulting in sub-contractors not being paid.
“The new rules move away from a ‘lowest price model’ to a ‘broader outcome model’ which has to take into account the financial health of the construction company, the health and safety of its workers and the environmental health of the building,” he said.
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Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities board appointments
Five new board members will oversee Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities when it is established on 1 October, led by an initial Board Chair, Sir Brian Roche, who will remain in the role until 31 December 2019, Housing Minister Megan Woods announced today.
Three agencies that build and provide homes – Housing New Zealand, its subsidiary HLC, and the KiwiBuild Unit – will come together to form the new Crown agency Kāinga Ora.
The board members are Vui Mark Gosche, John Duncan, Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman (1 October 2019 to 30 September 2021) and Dr Nicola Crauford and Pat Snedden MNZM (1 October 2019 to 31 December 2019).
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