Bremner Ridge Road Connection Slashes Commuting Time

Auckland 29 April 2022 – Templeton Group has opened a new one-kilometre road at Bremner Ridge . The short stretch of new road links Flatbush School Road to Redoubt Road via Michael Bosher Way, saving approximately 12 minutes of drive time each trip. It also connects Tuscany Estate to the amenities of Flatbush, including Ormiston Town Centre, a number of schools, public transportation and Sir Barry Curtis Park. By taking on this traffic the road will also relieve congestion in adjoining suburbs.

The new road was built on the back of a massive earthmoving and engineering project which included a number of shear keys -- a steep terrain construction methodology where densely packed earth is engineered to resist the force created by the lateral load from the soil.

One shear key, which supports the new road is approximately 156m wide and 200m deep and has a maximum height of 42m from road level to base. A quarter of a million cubic meters of earth was excavated – around twenty-five thousand truck movements, and construction required 175,000m3 of engineered fill at a cost of around $20m.

“This section of new road, though short, was critical to unlocking the potential of the Bremner Ridge site,” says Templeton Founder, Nigel McKenna. “Successful developments are based on location, access amenity and community. With this road now complete Bremner Ridge offers allof these, which is why we’ve already been able to sell 93 percent of all lots.

“With the elevation tamed, Bremner Ridge now affords spectacular views across the city to Rangitoto, North Head, the Sky Tower and, in the distance, the Waitakere ranges.” \

Roading is only part of Templeton’s investment in infrastructure at Bremner Ridge. Through a cost share agreement with Watercare it upgraded the 250mm supply main to Redoubt Road Reservoir, connecting the Redoubt Road Watermain to Flatbush and providing an important connection for Watercare. It also extended the Watercare wastewater network down Long Horn Drive (formerly McQuoid’s Rd), which allows for future development along that road.

Five hundred new homes

Templeton also increased the site’s yield in response to demand for more housing. The 42 Ha site was originally zoned for very low density, large lot residential development. The original masterplan yielded 315 lots, with 58 lifestyle lots ranging from 900m2 to over 10,000m2 and 257 standard sections ranging from 300m2 to 900m2.

Templeton recognised that, at a time when Auckland is desperate for additional housing land within the developed city, zoning the entire area for very low-density housing represented a significant under-utilisation of a scarce land resource. Accordingly, it applied for and was granted an integrated land use and subdivision consent to intensify the development so that it now yields 360 total sections with 60 lifestyle lots and 300 standard sections. Templeton’s total development of Bremner Ridge and the adjacent project, Fairburn, represent over 500 lots in total.

Innovative multi-generational housing

Templeton also applied for a private plan change (PC47) to enable construction of larger homes to suit the demand and demographic of the Flat Bush area. It submitted designs for three prototype multi-generational homes capable of co-housing three families with two fully independent kitchens and living areas.

This innovative solution allowed Templeton to achieve affordable housing, not by the traditional small house on a small site approach, but by having a large home on a medium sized site, with multiple incomes to service a mortgage.

The first batch of titles issued in November 2020 and the last issued in February 2022.

Revegetation, landscaping and amenities

Templeton has invested heavily in ecological improvement at Bremner Ridge and the creation of amenities in an open space network. It has planted native revegetation on over 20Ha including riparian and gully planting. It has removed an artificial pond on a stream that was converted to a wetland – improving the area’s ecology significantly.

The open space network is structured around making connections between key site features, and providing gateways to the wider area. A generous 15-metre-wide linear park runs along Longhorn Drive within the road corridor, with a shared path and planted area adjacent to the street. It consists of top-tier finishing with rustic elements such as hardwood posts, custom handrails, sanctuary fencing and gates and curated plant selections. The newly created Bremner Park includes gabion walls, street furniture, hedges, planting beds and meadow lawns. These amenities build community and enhance lifestyle and link with countryside and bush walkways, public amenities that allow residents and visitors to enjoy leisurely walks and exercise.

Resurrecting an iconic heritage building

Standing at the heart of central park, with magnificent views across the city, was the former Major Bremner’s Cottage, named after Daniel Bremner, who fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and the battle of Somme. He was promoted to captain as a result of his actions, later promoted to Major and finally to Brigadier. A fire reduced the cottage to a mere chimney, however it will now be rebuilt and put into service as a community café and eatery.

“We have committed to faithfully replicating its iconic shape and preserving it as part of the suburb’s heritage,” says McKenna.

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