‘A city from the ground up’: Planned hub for 60,000 people wins approval
Three of New Zealand’s largest developers have won Environment Court approval for a new metropolitan centre on South Auckland farmland in an area where about 60,000 people could live within 30 years.
Kiwi Property, Oyster Capital and Fulton Hogan won action against appeals opposing their schemes.
That clears the way for 6000 new homes and a new town centre on the land.
Judge Jeff Smith released a decision this week allowing a plan change to go ahead, enabling developers to begin work on their holdings.
Wider development in the area is expected to bring a new city the size of Napier centred around a new stateowned railway station and new interchange on State Highway One.
Auckland Council and Auckland Transport opposed the plans on the basis of funding. That has been now been resolved.
KiwiRail also opposed the scheme, mainly on the basis of acoustic issues, fearing people living close to the railway line would complain about noise. Ka¯inga Ora was also a party to the action.
Kiwi Property yesterday said the Environment Court approved its Drury private plan change application.
The company’s 53ha site will now be re-zoned as a metropolitan town centre, giving the ability to be intensified up to a height of 72m.
Nick Roberts from Barker and Associates, who worked for all three developers, welcomed the decision.
“This is a significant move for Auckland because it creates a new transit-orientated centre focused on rail in South Auckland. It is the first such new centre since Westgate was created in the early 2000s,” Roberts said.
Ian Passau, Kiwi Property general manager, said the decision would unlock many chances for business to create a new community.
“Drury is expected to become home to around 60,000 people in the next 30 years, providing a unique opportunity to build a city from the ground up.
“Today’s ruling confirms Kiwi Property’s site as the location for the future town centre and a nexus for development in the area over the coming decades.
“The successful plan change outcome will help generate value and enable us to move forward with stage one earthworks.
“We’re looking forward to developing a thriving community where people from across the region will live, work, play and stay,” Passau said.
In June, the Herald reported how the council was appealing a decision giving the three developers the green light to rezone around 330ha of land in Drury.
In May, independent hearing commissioners approved the private plan changes of developers but the council said it would challenge that outcome.
The council’s planning committee voted to take legal action.
The matter dates back to mid-2020 when the developers applied to rezone the land in East Drury from future urban to a mix of residential, business and open space zones.
The council continued opposing plan changes on the grounds it would be left to foot the bill for $1 billion in the infrastructure needed for the works to go ahead. That infrastructure included $600 million for transport-related projects and a further $500m for stormwater, sewerage, parks and community facilities.
Auckland Transport had serious concerns about the planned redevelopment in the next 30 years, describing changes as “out of sequence” with the Auckland Plan 2050’s development strategy and the council’s future urban land supply strategy.
Megan Tyler, council strategy chief, said after the ruling that Auckland Council had “worked constructively together with the private plan change applicants and other parties to resolve the appeals through courtassisted mediation.
“These discussions resulted in all parties reaching an agreement that resolves all the appeals in full without the need for an Environment Court hearing.
“The council is now preparing to seek approval of the plan changes and a direction to make them operative through the relevant council committee.”
Kiwi Property says its Drury landholding is on the western side of Fitzgerald Rd and within the Papakura District suburb.
“We see Drury town centre as a vibrant pedestrian-centric streetscape, a place where you can work, live, eat, relax and shop — a place where people come together,” the developer said.