Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

First Crown land parcels for development identified

29 May 2015


First Crown land parcels for development identified

Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today listed four sites comprising 30 hectares of land that are being considered for development under the new initiative to facilitate housing on Crown-owned land in Auckland.

“The most advanced site is at the corner of Moire and Granville Roads in Massey East, consisting of 10 parcels of land totalling 9.5 hectares. The Government has authorised my Ministry to purchase it from the Ministry of Education and to gazette it for housing purposes under the Housing Act 1955. The land had originally been set aside for a new high school but a better site was subsequently found at Hobsonville,” Dr Smith says.

“This site, with a capacity for about 200 homes, is within close proximity of the Royal Road on-ramp to the North Western Motorway, is located on major bus routes connecting to the CBD as well as amenities like parks, schools and a major shopping centre. It already has access to water and waste infrastructure – meaning housing development will be able to proceed more quickly. I hope to have a development agreement signed for this first parcel of land under our new initiative before the end of October, earthworks started over summer and the first homes completed in late 2016.

“I am also releasing the locations of three other sites with a potential for about 400 homes, involving NZTA-owned land, that are being considered for purchase and gazetting under the Housing Act. One of the sites is in Manukau and has potential for intensive housing close to the town centre and rail links. The second site is in Avondale and is zoned for terraced housing or apartments. The third site is at Brigham Creek Road, off the Upper Harbour Motorway. The next steps with these sites will be to assess their commercial viability relative to their zoning and infrastructure requirements.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The Government announced the initiative to facilitate housing development on Crown-owned land in Budget 2015, with the establishment of a $52.2 million contingency fund. It is estimated that the Crown, through various agencies, owns approximately 500 hectares of land in Auckland with the potential for residential development. This equates to about 0.3 per cent of the over 150,000 hectares of total public land in Auckland. The fund will allow the Government to select vacant parcels of land from the relevant agency and make it available for development by a private sector partner through a competitive process.

“We are taking to Auckland the approach we have already applied with success in Christchurch, where we partnered with the private sector to deliver more than 400 homes on surplus public land at Awatea, and Welles and Colombo Streets. Part of the development agreement for these projects specified a proportion – ranging from 20 to 38 per cent – of the homes to be priced as starter homes. We would be looking to include a similar condition in agreements made under this new initiative, with the proportion to be determined through negotiations on a case-by-case basis. Our initiative is about boosting not just supply, but also ensuring more homes are built suitable for first home buyers,” Dr Smith says.

Today’s launch event provided information for developers interested in partnering with the Government under the initiative. It followed a media tour of housing developments already underway on Crown-owned land, including at McLennan, Waimahia (Weymouth), Tāmaki and Hobsonville – as well as new sites with the potential for development.

“Officials will continue to explore additional sites owned by the Crown that may be suitable for housing. We will be releasing further sites when investigations are concluded on their suitability,” Dr Smith says.

“This new initiative is not a silver bullet but a further step in our plan to improve housing supply and affordability in Auckland. It complements our measures like the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas, the record investment in building apprenticeships, the constraints on new section development contributions, the removal of tariffs on building materials, and the new HomeStart package. The next key steps are progressing the recently announced housing tax changes and the proposed Resource Management Act reforms.

“The rate of new house build in Auckland has doubled over the past three years and investment in residential construction reached an all-time high of $2.6 billion in the year to March 2015. This latest Government initiative is about ensuring we maintain this momentum.”

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1505/2._Information_sheets_on_new_potential_developments.pdf


http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1505/3._Information_sheets_on_existing_developments.pdf

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.