Big block adjoins Manukau AUT
University is divesting of its surplus land, writes Colin Taylor
early one hectare of land is for sale in Auckland’s Great South Road right next to the AUT South Campus in Manukau and with a zoning suited to a range of commercial activities.
“This area will be the focus of some serious urban regeneration in coming years,” says Nick Hargreaves, managing director of JLL who, with agent Jarred Hill, i s selling a subdivided lot comprising 9046.84sq m of land at 622 Great South Rd through an expressions of interest process, closing at 4pm on Thursday, December 22.
“A developer with vision will take advantage of the student population here and build something that will complement the AUT campus,” Hargreaves says. “There are thousands of students coming to AUT South each day along with 24,000 vehicles a day passing this site on Great South Rd.”
Hill says the property with an approximate frontage of 100m to Great South is surplus to AUT’s requirements. The nearly one hectare lot, currently part- leased to a car dealership, i s part of a 4.5ha site at 622 Great South Rd with a carpark at the rear of the property.
Overall, the AUT South Campus is an 8ha site that was once occupied by the headquarters of Carter Holt Harvey. Attending AUT students can gain qualifications in business, computing, design, engineering technology, health science, law and sport.
“Under the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan, the land for sale i s zoned for Business- Mixed Use, allowing for all sorts of commercial possibilities,” Hill says. “There’s a range of permitted activities here including food and beverage outlets, community facilities, artisan industries, laboratories and storage facilities.”
The site is a 1.4km walk from the Manukau railway station and is just around the corner from the on and off- ramps to State Highway 1, from where it is a 22km drive to the CBD. “The purchaser of the land for sale, which will most likely be available with vacant possession, will be able to capitalise on the success of the Manukau AUT with a suitable development,” Hargreaves says.
“The AUT’s new MH building is now under construction and is due to open in time for the first semester of 2017, which will allow AUT South to accommodate up to 4000 students.”
Built on sustainable design principles the new building will house lecture theatres, a large atrium space with community access and a central green space which will be the heart of campus. Interior spaces in the fourstorey building will house classrooms, offices, IT facilities and flexible study areas.
The Manukau campus already has a number of special features that include Astroturf courts for hire, a swimming pool with cafe, a gym, student lounges, computer labs, a library and a shuttle bus running between the three AUT campuses. It has more than 380 carparks.
“Manukau has been identified by Auckland Council as an area with huge development potential,” Hill says. “Panuku Development Auckland is working with central government to create more housing in the Manukau Metropolitan Centre. The goal is to make Manukau a vibrant, family- friendly centre.”
The 600ha Transform Manukau project area includes the entire Metropolitan Centre Zone, the Manu-
Nick Hargreaves
kau Sports Bowl site, the Wiri suburban neighbourhood to the south, and the Manukau Super Clinic site.
“The fact that the property lies within Panuku’s project area is great news for the new owner of the Great South Rd land site,” Hill says.
He says Panuku has completed its high- level project plan for the transformation of Manukau, which includes new housing as well as the redevelopment of Hayman Park and Puhinui Stream. The project plan identifies Manukau as the largest of Auckland’s 10 metropolitan centres by employment and the closest to Auckland Airport.
“All this is significant for the area’s growth prospects,” Hargreaves says. “Auckland Airport is rapidly becoming a commercial centre in its own right, with quality office space as well as industrial developments,” Hargreaves says. “In addition, more and more Aucklanders are looking to the city’s southern fringes to find more affordable housing or bigger sections, which indicates that Manukau will develop into a busy metropolitan centre in the coming years.”
He says AUT became a university in 2000 and is New Zealand’s fastestgrowing university. In the QS World University Rankings 2016/ 17, AUT advanced by 40 places to be ranked as one of the top 450 universities in the world, putting it in the top three per cent of universities worldwide. In the Time Higher Education World Uni- versity Rankings 2016/ 2017, AUT is ranked in the top 20 in the world for International Outlook ( making it the highest- ranked university in this category in New Zealand and Australia), and among the world’s top 600 universities.
The International Outlook ranks universities according to their ability to attract international students and staff, as well as how well they engage and collaborate with overseas universities.