WCC 100 year Flood maps reveal the inadeqacy of Johnsonvilles infrastructure.

Graeme Sawyer from JCA - Johnsonville Community Association Inc

Hi People, I just noticed that WCC is now posting some very interesting flood risk details rather prominently on the "front page" of WCC maps - they call it "Wellington City Flood Depths" in the key to their map. They have the similar data for most other suburbs. This information is easily accessible at this link: gis.wcc.govt.nz... - just zoom in to the part of the map of your choice.

I assume these new flood maps are prompted by "overland flood path" data which most big cities now have excellent detail of, and predicted (Climate change induced) rainfall increases. Owners of properties in areas like Philip Street through to Trafalgar street will be particularly interested in these flood depth maps: No doubt their Insurers are already well acquainted with this data!

Some cities make it a priority to "retire" such flood-prone areas to public parks and greenspace. WCC, in their infinite wisdom, instead opted to rezone these areas (District Plan Change 72 back in 2014, thank you Andy Foster !) in order to encourage much more high-density residential redevelopment in this part of central Johnsonville. And it certainly has! But residential intensification dramaticly INCREASES stormwater runoff (more impervious surfaces means much higher and faster rainwater runoff in storms) as well as dramaticly increasing the number and therefore value of of homes which will inevitably be damaged by the resulting floods....

The current "governing bloc" of WCC councillors seem to have endorsed and even increased the residential density intensification capacity (ie, higher apartment-type buildings, removal of requirement for parking spaces etc) in this central Johnsonville area. Greenspace and recreational facilities in central Johnsonville have significantly reduced in this time (a large chunk of Alex Moore park softball/football ground was converted to carparking for 'out-of-suburb" visitors to the Park, and Johnsonvilles only public basketball half-court was sacrificed for a new Library (and never replaced). While Johnsonvilles population soars, our outdoor recreational amenities dwindle..... Council deigned to replace one of two playgrounds which were (inaprpriately) decommissioned in 2003 with a new playground in 2017, but we are still waiting for that to be built......

We can only assume WCC are already planning (and budgeting!) for a massive improvement in Johnsonvilles' (already badly inadequate) stormwater drainage infrastructure to aleviate the projected flooding risk before this residential intensification proceeds any further? Funded, perhaps, by substantial increases in development contributions from developers who seek to profit from "intensification" in these areas?

....Yeah, Right.


Personally, I'd like to see WCC "daylight" ALL the significant the water courses that (have always) run through Johnsonville, right from their sources (ie from the terminal end of Broderick Road, Arapiko St, Upper Truscott Ave, and from the gully between Frankmoore and Ironside roads) - right through Johnsonville and out of the suburb. In the long term, this will by far be the cheapest option (buried pipes are always going to be more expensive to maintain, long-term) , and it would certainly be the best environmental solution.