Canal Road Park: an Opportunity Not to Be Missed

Media Release - for immediate release 8 December 2019

The Tree Council is disappointed to see listed for sale 3 vacant properties, plus a fourth with an older house, at 52-58 Canal Road, Avondale in a prime development zone.

We met with the Whau Local Board and Council staff in May 2017 with the proposal that Auckland Council approach the landowner with a view to purchasing these properties to create a much-needed local park for the Avondale community.

Local Board Chair at the time Tracy Mulholland seemed keen, but no action has been taken in the 2.5 years since then and now the properties are up for sale.

The three properties are currently vacant and occupy the corner of Canal Rd and Wairau Ave, Avondale. They are special because they contain 46 mature native trees, some of which are now rare in the Auckland area. There is a scheduled notable pohutukawa on one of the sections, adjacent to the road, which is protected in the Unitary Plan. None of the other trees have any protection. The site and surrounding area is zoned for intensive development (Residential Mixed Housing) and this will result in much more intense urbanisation over time requiring more green space to serve the local population.

The Tree Council’s Chair Sean Freeman says “it is disappointing that the Avondale community risks losing this ready-made park with some really special and rare native trees through a lack of action on behalf of the Council. These sections contain the only black maire trees I’ve ever seen.

“We have contacted the newly elected Whau representatives this week with a plea for them to take urgent action to preserve this special corner of Avondale, which features on a walking tour brochure produced by the Whau Wildlink and funded by Whau Local Board “Whau Wildlink Connecting Nature across the Whau A Self-Guided Tree Walk”. We hope that they can move quickly to secure this taonga for future generations of Avondale residents.”

There is a petition on change.org calling on Auckland Council to save these trees "Auckland Council: 0ver 1500 years of trees will be lost forever" http://chng.it/4kFnG8d88t

Concerned residents of Whau are encouraged to contact their elected representatives at:
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/local-boards/all-local-boards/whau-local-board/Pages/contact-whau-local-board.aspx
and
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/governing-body-wards-committees/wards/Pages/ward-councillors.aspx

ENDS

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