Four projects launched last decade to create or revitalise Auckland communities have endured hard times to reach milestones in their development.
Whole new towns are taking shape within metropolitan Auckland after nearly a dozen years of planning and half a billion dollars of public spending to encourage developers.
Towns at Westgate Centre, Hobsonville Point, Flat Bush and the regeneration of New Lynn are “transformational projects” inherited by the Super City from the former city councils of Waitakere and Manukau, which chose the projects well before the November 2010 merger and had agreements with private-sector developers.
The councils believed it was within their role to foster economic development by setting up new town centres and community facilities to create encouraging conditions for landowners and developers.
Three years ago, Auckland Council agreed with the idea of making it easier for developers – in the face of the Auckland Plan’s finding that acceptable intensive housing was needed if the city was to house an extra 650,000 people within 30 years.
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All big projects but all legacy projects of the pre-Super City that will be brought to natural close in development in their due time. Legacy projects that have had mixed results with Hobsonville Point coming along nicely, New Lynn having its foundations laid in its place one of ten (or nine if we get a Super Met Centre) Metropolitan Centres, Westgate Centre only just having the first sod literally turned, and Flat Bush a lesson on how not to really do a Greenfield urban development (Wesley Special Housing Area take note).
So we have something to take away from all four legacy projects when Auckland as a region gets ready to start its first major urban project (renewal or Greenfield) outside of the Special Housing Areas – and is also not a legacy era project either. Speaking of Special Housing Area I see in April’s Auckland Development Committee Agenda that the third tranche of SHA’s is to be debated with an announcement due either in May or June. It is to my understanding with the third tranche that these upcoming SHA’s might be larger than the first two and particular emphasis could be placed on Brownfield sites (so urban renewal) rather than Greenfield. If so with Brownfield I wonder if one of our Metropolitan Centres could be roped in to an SHA. Hard to see but not impossible to rule out.
City Transformational Project and City Transformational Unit (CTU)
Auckland Council has a team otherwise known as the City Transformational Unit that oversees City Transformational Projects. Regional and Local Planning Manager Ms Penny Pirrit (who is also overseeing the Unitary Plan as an Officer (Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse as an elected representative oversees the Unitary Plan as Chair of the Auckland Development Committee)) explains in brief in the Herald article the role of the CTU and City Transformational Projects:
“The transformational projects progressed because they have committed landowners and developers and because council has an active role in facilitating action,” said council regional and local planning manager Penny Pirrit.
The projects had been through standard planning requirements including public engagement to produce master plans with appropriate zoning.
Ms Pirrit said many civic works were paid for from levies on developers.
New Lynn’s major stimulus for urban renewal – the $160 million undergrounding of the railway through the town and $36 million upgrade of the rail-bus interchange – was up and running.
The city transformation team’s role was getting projects off the ground by bringing various council departments, state roading and energy agencies together with landowners and developers to ensure the provision of infrastructure was coordinated and running to the development’s timetable.
“But in working with developers, the council is trying to achieve not just a one-off, stand-alone project but creating urban neighbourhoods,” said Ms Pirrit.
Getting parks established by the time the residents arrive had been part of the council’s role and it had also guided the Ministry of Education with population predictions for growth hot-spots.
“Hobsonville and Flat Bush are good examples of where the ministry has delivered high-quality schools, which are key lures for people making decisions on where they want to live.”
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Wish the Ministry of Education was a bit more proactive with schools on the Isthmus and deep south of South Auckland where there is a lot of population growth at the moment. That aside what is highlighted in bold is what the CTU team do with a large-scale urban project.
I am aware (from the AT Network Breakfast in Manukau earlier this year) that the Manukau City Centre has become a City Transformational Project – thus bringing it under the CTU team. It would be the first “centre” apart from the CBD (which falls under the City Centre Master Plan that is operative) to be placed as a CTP that does not stem from a legacy project of the pre Super City era. So effectively a brand new project and transformation under and entirely through the Super City regime. In layman’s terms a blank canvas free of legacy era “plans” to create something that I believe should be bold, visionary but yet should be remembered for its simplicity. We have a tendency with Master Plans to run the risk of going over the top with designs and visions in order to stamp a legacy out for decades to come. Well how about with Manukau we make its mark for the Ages from its simplicity while still being bold.
In any case I am digressing a bit. So Auckland is presented through the City Transformation Projects an opportunity to create something that will have impacts regionally – so the big picture stuff – the Super City stuff. The CBD is under way already so we progress to our second tier centres for which we have two. Albany is around two decades away currently but Manukau is ripe and ready to go and where the focus is turning.
A quick recap on Manukau City Centre:
Classed as a Metropolitan Centre under the Unitary Plan (being actively pushed as a Super Metropolitan Centre however, through the Unitary Plan submission process)
Flanked by residential on its northern, eastern and south-eastern flanks with the Wiri industrial complex on the southern and western flanks
Linked by two state highways, two arterial roads, and the main rail line (for both passenger and freight)
Contains two tertiary institutions (MIT and AUT)
Houses Westfield Mall, Courts, Counties Manukau Police HQ, and Rainbows End
Acts a service hub to Southern Auckland (and in part the northern Waikato) which houses 38% of Auckland’s population
Growth in Southern Auckland (residential and Industry) is taking off with expansion of the industrial complex and new housing subdivisions under way (there is also growth under way with residential and industrial centres in the norther Waikato that have effects on Southern Auckland as well)
Has a Sense of Identity attached it by Southern Auckland population base as their “CBD” in comparison to the main CBD
So while arguably the four transformation legacy projects are “big” their “impacts” are more contained to immediate localised areas (apart from feeding commuters to “far-flung” employment centres). Manukau’s City Transformational Project has the potential to have impacts on both Southern Auckland but (done right) wider Auckland and even the north Waikato. Recapping Ms Pirrit’s point about City Transformational Projects: “ bringing various council departments, state roading and energy agencies together with landowners and developers to ensure the provision of infrastructure was coordinated and running to the development’s timetable.” This is going to be a must and a challenge (I say that in a positive manner 🙂 ) to pull off with Manukau. Once Manukau is complete with its transformation then we evaluate the successes and failures before translating over to the next City Transformational Project scheme which would be the next Metropolitan Centre (Takapuna, Albany or Henderson?) In any case a nice blank canvas City Transformational Project free of the legacy era would be a good way in getting the entire Council (so main council and the CCO’s (Auckland Transport, Auckland Council Property Limited, and Watercare)), businesses, Government, and the Citizenry together to flesh out and execute a regional project (outside of the CBD). The challenge is – who is game because I certainly am 😀
For your referencing – my Manukau Presentation Booklet
As a side note I wonder what the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport are planning to officially announce after 12pm on Tuesday (April 1) at Britomart Station (apart from the official launch of electrification)
Talking Southern Auckland 