Radical housing plan all go
Mt Roskill houses will be linked to the planned light rail from downtown in $4b scheme
Aand Mt Roskill housing project is getting turbocharged with plans for 10,000 new homes over 15 years, including 2400 Kiwibuild homes.
The houses will be linked to the planned light rail line from downtown. The value for the scheme is around $4 billion.
Announcing the project yesterday, Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford said the Mt Roskill development would be over 143ha and would be similar in scale to the Mangere development.
“Not only will this redevelopment provide families in Mt Roskill with high-quality new homes, it’ll provide the infrastructure to cope with growth and connect with the planned light rail line.
“[It] will include more than 2400 modest, affordable KiwiBuild homes for first-home buyers, around 3000 market homes, and more than 3000 new state homes.”
Building in Roskill South had affordable KiwiBuild homes (at least) market homes More than 3000 new state homes
already started. Under stage one, 80 new state homes would be built, with the first ready to move into next year.
“Stage two will begin mid-2019 and will see 90 worn-out state homes replaced with around 300 new homes, including around 95 KiwiBuild homes, around 60 state houses and market homes.
“The Roskill South part of the redevelopment will be finished in the next six years, with 302 new state homes and 578 affordable market homes being built.”
Twyford acknowledged Auckland mayor Phil Goff, local MP Michael Wood and the Puketa¯papa Local Board, saying their leadership had ensured community aspirations had helped shape the development.
“The Mt Roskill development is a great example of how local and central Government are working together to improve neighbourhoods throughout Auckland,” Twyford said.
“The 2400 KiwiBuild homes and thousands of affordable market homes being built will give many in the community a real shot at owning their own home.
“With access to rapid transport and new warm, dry homes for families, the redevelopment is a fantastic outcome for the Roskill community.”
Deputy director of Greater Auckland Patrick Reynolds said the urban advocacy group supported the plans.
“They’re basically replacing one house with four. It’s adding gentle, suburban-level density to existing urban land that’s already served by open space and water and roading.
“This has to be the model. State houses built 50, 60, 70 years ago are all really tired and inefficiently occu- pying big sites,” he said. “This is much, much better than building [new developments] out in the countryside . . . this is much more efficient and cost effective.”
Reynolds believed the light rail from central Auckland to Mt Roskill would work to serve the increased population’s needs, provided buses fed into the main line.