12. Urban Environments Volume One [D] Objective 12.6 – The maintenance and enhancement of the character and amenities of business and industrial areas make these environments places where people want to work, visit and invest. The establishment and operation of business and industrial activities can result in adverse effects on business areas and their surroundings due to noise, emissions, loss of visual amenity, lighting and traffic congestion. In addition to making business areas physically accessible to the public, it is also necessary to enhance their amenities to make them pleasant and enjoyable to visit and work in. The level of amenity will vary between different business and industrial areas. Areas providing for business and industrial activities are likely to have lower standards of amenity than may be found in a residential environment and this is accepted by most people. For example, people expect there to be more trucks and cars in business areas and subsequently traffic noise and fumes are tolerated more than they would be within their own residential environment. However, the Council wishes to ensure that the environment of business areas is not degraded but that they remain visually attractive to new businesses and are acceptable environments within which to work. [D] Policy 12.6.1 – Require development to maintain or enhance streetscape amenity in business zones by ensuring: (a) an attractive street interface is maintained through landscaping where buildings are not built to the street frontage; (b) service and outdoor storage areas are not visible from ground level of a public place; (c) architecturally-interesting façades are presented through variation in building design, scale and the use of glazing; (d) a continual frontage of buildings is provided along the street, apart from pedestrian alleyways; (e) clear and direct visual connection is provided between the street and the building interior; (f) direct physical connection is provided to the building interior through clearly identified pedestrian entrances; (g) shelter is provided for pedestrians on footpaths in the form of a veranda; and (h) buildings are designed to have commercial activities at the ground floor, with an adequate ground floor to ceiling height to accommodate these activities. This policy recognises the importance of streetscape amenity and quality pedestrian environments and seeks to ensure that land use and development occurs in a way that maintains or enhances such amenity. It is well accepted that quality urban environments make a significant contribution to the health, safety, social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of urban communities. The matters included in the policy seek to maintain a visual environment that is attractive to shoppers and maintains the existing form and identity of business areas. This includes for example ensuring that any new building has a veranda, a traditional feature of New Zealand towns that provides continuity to street appearance as well as providing shelter from the weather. [D] Policy 12.6.2 – Development of activities in business or industrial zones will provide good amenity outcomes through the following: (a) ensuring people’s health and wellbeing are maintained and enhanced through good building design; 12 – 18