Apartment block plot in Henderson
A substantial plot of Henderson town centre land, once consented for the development of a high-rise residential tower, has been placed on the market for sale.
The rectangular property, at 29-31 Catherine St, comprises 2,024sq m of flat undeveloped land, close to train and bus stations, and just a stroll from the Westcity Shopping Plaza.
In 2015 Auckland Council approved plans for 84 residential apartments in a 13-storey building, with car-parking for 103 vehicles. But this consent lapsed aheasd of construction.
Then in 2017, revised plans envisaged 182 residential apartments in a 24-storey building, with car parking on the lower three-levels.
These plans were never submitted, and staff at surrounding light industrial tenancies have been using the site as free parking for months.
Now the valuable brownfield site is being marketed for sale by private treaty through Bayleys Auckland, with offers closing at 4pm on March 21. It features in Bayleys’ latest Total Property portfolio magazine.
Bayleys’ Graeme Sun says the Business Metropolitan-Centre zone allows construction of a residential building up to 72.5m high.
It also allows favour food and beverage, hospitality and child care spaces.
“The zone is designed to encourage community interaction and commercial growth; it contains hubs serving high-frequency transport, such as the nearby bus and rail links. Buildings in the zone must be designed to a high standard, enhancing central Henderson’s streets and public open spaces,” Sun says. “Buyers may purchase the previous sets of plans — which both conform to the council brief — albeit they would be free of any obligation to continue with what was mooted in either scheme.
“Fulfilment of a residential complex
for Catherine St is at the forefront of hoped for regeneration in this part of the town centre, delivering on Council’s vision for the wider precinct, as outlined in Panuku Development Auckland’s Unlock Henderson High Level Project Plan.
“This envisages an increase in housing and commercial density of Henderson town centre, while maintaining the suburb’s high proportion of parks and open spaces. The plan seeks to use council properties with development potential to help act as catalysts for Henderson’s regeneration and private investment, increasing the numbers of people who will live, work and shop in the centre.”
Sun says depending on their configuration, apartments built on the land could have views to the Waitakere Ranges, or back towards Auckland City and the inner Waitemata.
Meanwhile, huge potential exists to formalise car parking leasing arrangements, with commuters, or the staff of adjacent businesses who currently park on the land.