Ronwood Avenue to Cavendish Drive sector proves challenging

 

 

 

The section of Manukau City Centre that spans from Ronwood Avenue up through Cavendish Drive and Ryan Place (otherwise known as Ronwood in the Panuku map) would be the more difficult area to redevelop as part of Transform Manukau. This is due to most of the land in the sector is in private ownership as well as stricter planning rules such as the flight path. Still despite the restrictions and Cavendish Drive being a main thoroughfare linking Botany and the Airport opportunities do present themselves for the private sector wanting to join the Transform Manukau program.

The southern flank of the Ronwood sector sits on Ronwood Avenue and was covered in an earlier post on turning Ronwood Avenue into a main street. Moving further north there have been plans for a lane way and medium density development along an access way that runs between The Warehouse and ASB and goes up through to between Pak n Save and the large box stores on Ronwood Avenue. That lane way could be another Fort Street in the City Centre that is a shared space with a mix of restaurants, commercial outlets and either office or apartments above. Given the Ronwood sector is a long-term project such a lane way project could be done after the Central Heart and Westfield areas are done so as not to spread resources and customers too thin until Manukau has reestablished itself as a thriving second City Centre (or large Metropolitan Centre).

 

 

Moving further north we face the High Airport Noise Area from the flight path restricting most residential developments unless serious sound proofing is done. Cavendish Drive is also a main arterial so again that restricts apartments as well due to pollution levels.  But that does not stop large format retail and other outlet type stores reestablishing themselves in the area. Office space could establish themselves in the area as well. But the connections for pedestrians and cyclists certainly needs to be better in the area to link it up with other areas of Manukau City Centre. This is especially between Sharkey Street and the Great South Road area of the Ronwood sector (so right half) which has a high pedestrian count owing to AUT at one end, the mall and public transport interchange at the other. The area also has a high number of food outlets as well as the Pak n Save which attract a lot of pedestrians.

 

 

Lack of Hospitality

South Auckland does lack causal and fine dining establishments to serve its population of 500,000. So while we can establish a hospitality scene along Amersham Way where existing eateries are (fast food is located along the Great South Road between Ronwood Avenue and Cavendish Drive) further establishments of other hospitality scenes to serve a population of 900,000 by 2042 will be needed. Cue the Ronwood lane way that would connect up to the fast food outlets on the Great South Road. The lane way would be developed through the life of Transform Manukau as Manukau itself continues to reestablish itself. The idea is to slowly bring in new hospitality establishments as the population base grows in Manukau rather than a big surge at the beginning effectively signing their death warrant from go.

As you can also see the lane way with its extensions stitch up the different areas of Manukau from Ronwood Avenue (the main street), the mall, Davies Avenue, the Supa Centre, Hayman Park and Cavendish Drive.

 

 

Again as noted above the Ronwood sector is in the long-term plans given most of the land is privately held. But that should not us line up master planning to allow the development of the Ronwood lane way and associated redevelopments around it as the southern end of Transform Manukau begins and begins to attract new people to the area. We are short on causal and fine dining here in the South and the Ronwood lane way could very well fill that spot.

 

What do you think?