Land to fund park development

One and a half hectares of Upper Hutt City Council land bordering Maidstone Park is set to be sold for residential development.

A tender for the residential development of vacant land at Railway Ave and Maidstone Tce closes on October 16. In 2011, the site was estimated by the council to be worth $2.8 million.

A two-stage subdivision allows for 14 single dwellings ‘‘and two large lots which could be further developed to create either small lots or comprehensive residential development’’.

Council objectives include the delivery of a ‘‘quality, moderatescale’’ residential development with ‘‘well-designed and well-built housing’’.

The land, which borders the city park on two sides, has been vacant since 2009 when former railway properties owned and rented by the council since the 1980s were demolished or removed because of their poor condition.

Rezoning of the land came five years later and followed independent planning hearings needed because of the financial interest held by the council as land owner.

Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said the land would only be sold if a ‘‘financial threshold’’ was reached.

Any sale would be used to pay off loans on the completed astro turf development of Maidstone Park’s northern side and part-funding new facilities.

‘‘It’s a timing thing but we have always highlighted that this is part of what we want to do with the development of Maidstone Park.’’

The next stage will include building a sand-based turf, with lighting, on the main rugby field.