Green light for Matiatia purchase

Auckland City Council tonight agreed to secure land at Matiatia – gateway to Waiheke Island – by the purchase of all shares of Waitemata Infrastructure Ltd (WIL) for $12.5 million.

The decision followed the successful completion of public consultation and due diligence.

Mayor of Auckland City Dick Hubbard said that he was delighted at the decision which meant that council could now deliver a high quality development which respected the island’s unique character. “Securing this land has been a great team effort for the benefit of all Aucklanders.”

“We will continue to listen to the local community over the form of the development which will become an asset for the city,” he said.

He added: “I’m confident that the proposed design competition will achieve the maximum potential for this strategically important site.”

The deal with WIL will be settled on 31 August.

Post-settlement the council will seek completion of Plan Change 38 through the Environment Court. This will allow the development of no less than 8000m² of the land’s floor area for a return to the council of $7 million towards the purchase price.

The purchase will be made under a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO). Post-settlement the CCO will be wound up and the land transferred to the council’s property portfolio and governed by the proposed Property Enterprise Board.

The Mayor said the purchase represented a long-term strategic investment for the city. It was based on the council’s ability to fund it from a variety of sources including the sale of a long-term lease for development and car parking charges.

The council agreed that in principal the following car parking charges will operate at Matiatia from 1 November:

existing user pays car parking on the WIL land will be maintained

$6 per day for the sealed council car park on the foreshore reserve

$3 per day on metal and grassed area of the former WIL land. This will be available on a leased basis.

free car parking at Owhanake and on Ocean View Road maintained.

Detailed operational requirements of the parking charges are to be approved by the Transport and Urban Linkages Committee, including such options as half-day rates and monthly passes.

The charges will be reviewed after 12 months.

The council also re-affirmed an earlier decision to sell Lot 51 (the lot in the Church Bay Ridge valley) and consider the possibility of wharf charges for transport and targeted rating of Waiheke ratepayers.

Next steps will include a report to the council’s Urban Strategy and Governance Committee for community input on:

key objectives and design philosophy for the site’s development

the establishment of stakeholder and reference groups

the process for holding a design competition.

During the widely publicised consultation period only 13 submissions were received. Four parties spoke to their submissions at a hearing. All written submissions were in support, gave conditional support or made no comment on the acquisition process.

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