First large scale redevelopment in Manukau within two years
UPDATE – March 2018: The deal did not happen. According to documents and correspondence from Panuku the land never changed hands and as of this update the land still sits with Panuku. More of Nick Smith’s ghost houses.
Took a bit of time to confirm given Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith has been known to leave the convenient facts out (like he did last year with his Crown Surplus Land for Housing program) but in this case yes Dr Smith is correct in that the Crown has bought land of Auckland Council (through Panuku Development Auckland) to build 600 apartments in Manukau city Centre.
The Government has signed off deals to build 740 homes on spare land in Auckland, some of which must be sold for “affordable” prices.
Housing Minister Nick Smith confirmed this afternoon that the Government had completed negotiations on three sites in Manukau, Mt Albert, and Waterview.
The biggest development was a 1.85 hectare site at Manukau Station Road, where up to 600 apartments would be built. The land was bought off the Auckland Council.
A 0.91 hectare site on Great North Road in Waterview would fit another 80 new homes. It was previously owned by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and was leased to a boarding hostel.
The 0.47 hectare site in Mt Albert, on the corner of New North Road and Soljak Place, was bought from the NZTA and a private landowner and will fit 60 townhouse apartments.
Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Limited Partnership would be given first right of refusal on the Mt Albert site as part of the iwi’s Treaty settlement.
Development agreements were expected to be signed off between August and the end of the year, and the first houses were expected to be built on the sites within 18 months.
The developments which featured apartments were likely to take up to two years.
“This process is more complicated where there are tenants or multiple titles involving private land to make the optimum site for housing development,” Dr Smith said.
A portion of the houses built on each site must be sold for an “affordable” price – around $600,000.
The policy to free up surplus Crown land for housing was one of the National-led Government’s major announcements in last year’s Budget, and $52 million was allocated for the scheme.
Given the site for the 600 apartments has the Heavy Industry Air Quality overlay from the Unitary Plan maps given the motorway, Lambie Drive and Wiri both sound proofing from noise and a green belt on the Lambie Drive and motorway sides would be needed to mitigate against that noise and air pollution situation. Manukau Station Road is also a very wide four lane 60km/h arterial that needs to go on a road diet bearing in mind there might be a Light Rail designation to sit over it as part of the Manukau to Airport leg of the Botany Line.
Still the 600 apartment site is opposite MIT and the Manukau Rail Station while the Manukau Bus Station is across the diagonal at intersection of Manukau Station and Wiri Station Roads, and Davies Avenue. So at least you would not have far to get to work or a public transport hub to either get to work or somewhere else in urban Auckland.
Now then what will the designs for these apartments be?
Talking Southern Auckland 