4,500 possible homes + 1,000 more in Takanini/Papakura Area + more else where
I was flicking through the monthly ‘Our Auckland’ magazine yesterday when I came across the following titbit on page 18:
The start of something big
Auckland Council is working with property developers to rapidly increase Auckland’s supply of land for housing. Re-zoning applications will be considered for the Wesley College Farm (Paerata), Scott Point and Huapai Triangle Special Housing Areas. Around 21 re-zonings of land for residential development, which will yield more than 16,000 serviced sections, are likely under the Auckland Housing Accord. Developer Grafton Downs Limited is seeking to re-zone 300 hectares surrounding Wesley College to Mixed Housing Suburban and Local Centre zones. In time, the Franklin precinct will be served by railway, and have parks, commercial activities, terraced housing and apartments. “Aucklanders need houses and we’ll be delivering a minimum of 4500 new homes over 20 to 30 years,” says Chris Johnston, managing director of Grafton Downs.
………..
So 4,500 homes (plus a Local Centre and a new rail station (Paerata)) in the Wesley College area (between Pukekohe and Drury), plus 500 in the next Addison development, plus another 500 in the ex-social housing area on Walters Road and you see some serious yield is coming through on the housing supply side.
Now time is a big factor and I know people want things to go faster. I can appreciate the situation but I have learned that even with all T’s and I’s done to go from Plan, to Resource Consent, to Building Consent to finally your first house takes about two years for large subdivisions. Thus getting the supply side of housing (Brown or Greenfield) into the pipeline does require planning as it is not a simple task of slap a zone down and here come houses Sim City style (although that can take time too).
I have not even touched the supply side on industrial and commercial land yet which is also coming through the pipeline. But I hope like anything Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Watercare are prepared for some 50,000 homes (at the minimum) and 35,000 jobs on the way for the South. Because something tells me the Mill Road corridor situation is telling me they are not and we don’t need ad-hoc for the incoming growth – at all.
Might be something to prod the Auckland Development Committee on next month. Presentation time perhaps?
Blue = Southern Motorway
Green = Rapid Bus Links to a Rail Line
Red = Southern and Manukau Lines
Talking Southern Auckland 
Great news for sure. EXCEPT for the reservations expressed, I share them. Serious lack of infrastructure even now and very little in the pipeline. Creating a passageway for Mill Rd and terminating it at Popes Rd does what? About the same as the compression of Southbound lanes between Manukau and Takanini. We need a visionary doing some future proofing. Let’s start by suggesting rapid light rail with buses feeding is a solution we are working on, lets extend it by increasing that capacity even further by literally elevating the rail system. That’s right, just like the EL in NY. Run bottom level for heavy freight, offer inducements to increase usage. Put light rail on top deck.
Then there’s the wastewater reticulation system and all the others.
Seriously, Auckland needs a smaller port with goods being transported in, NOT the other way. Growing Ports only exacerbates the problems we have.