Rezoning application land goes on the market for sale

Rezoning application land goes on the market for sale

The first sizeable chunk of Pukekohe land potentially being rezoned from a Future Urban Zone to a Residential/Business/Light Industrial Zone under the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan has been placed on the market for sale.

The 4.3639 hectare site in Pukekohe’s Buckland Road - directly opposite Counties Racing Club and Pukekohe Park Raceway - is currently zoned for rural use. The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan has the land identified as a proposed Future Urban Zone.

Auckland Council’s Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan defines Future Urban Zones as areas suitable for supporting the development of new suburban centres – including the provision of schools, healthcare premises, parks, roads, public buildings, public transport services, and housing development.

However, the Pukekohe site owner, along with a group of adjoining land owners, is seeking a residential, business or light industrial zoning for their properties. Plan changes are required to change the zoning from Future Urban Zone, and these zoning requests are currently before Auckland Council.

In the meantime, the first piece of land has been placed on the market for sale by negotiation through Bayleys Counties. The triangular gently sloping shaped property has almost 400 metres of road frontage.

Bayleys Counties salesperson Graeme Moore said the property currently had holding income from a tenanted three-bedroom bungalow, leased grazing, and for public parking on race days at the adjacent track.

He said the property was easily linked to Pukekohe’s well established industrial and business zone around Manukau Road, and was close to the existing infrastructure connections. One of the key initiatives in the Pukekohe Area Plan is to enable the development of at least 100 hectares of new business land over the next 30 years.

“A light industrial zone could enable the establishment of more automotive and equestrian services, complimenting existing public use of the raceway,” Mr Moore said.

Pukekohe is identified in the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan as a priority satellite town anticipated to expand to a population of 50,000 people by 2040 - more than doubling the town’s current population of 21,000 people.

“The proposed Pukekohe Area Plan - identifies the completion of upgrading and connection of utility infrastructure services from Tuakau through Buckland where the plot is for sale to south Pukekohe - enabling the southern segment of Pukekohe to proceed as a possible area for first stage growth,” he said.

“The proposed Pukekohe Area Plan also proposes to make sufficient light industrial land available to enable growth of local business and employment, and calls for the release of 30 – 35 hectares of land to support this over the next decade.”

Mr Moore said the land owner was a member of a motivated group of like-minded land owners who had formed Pukekohe South Residents Group which collectively holds some 130 hectares of land zoned Future urban.

“The Pukekohe South Resident’s Group as a cost-effective singular entity has presented a unified front at the Unitary Plan Hearings process and mediation, and will continue to do so at any subsequent hearings. The body has already been recognised by Auckland Council as a legitimate community group submitting on the Proposed Unitary Plan process,” Mr Moore said.

"As a combined group, pooling their resources, the unitary plan mediation and hearings process is shared between group members – delivering individual savings of more than of $100,000 per landowner.

“This process has already been underway for almost two years, and while initially a stalwart supporter of the zoning conversion programme, the vendor of the Buckland Road land now has other priorities and is seeking to capitalise on his holding.

“The bulk of the background work has already been undertaken, so the opportunity exists for a potential new owner to join the Pukekohe South Residents' Group and literally ‘piggy-back’ on the framework already in place.”

ENDS

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