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Commercial developments set to expand city fringes

Developing greater Auckland’s commercial and industrial land potential will require a careful balance of quickly identifying and zoning suitable areas while simultaneously maintaining the rural amenities of lifestyle block land owners, according to one of the city’s senior property experts.
Commenting on Auckland Council’s Auckland Unleashed discussion blueprint, Bayleys Real Estate commercial general manager Chris Bayley says that while the region had considerable land capacity to expand, just where exactly that expansion should occur was reliant on several factors.
“Those determining factors include access to transport infrastructure, proximity to labour force accommodation, the efficiency of land use, appropriateness to existing businesses zonings, and alternative land-use options,” he says.
There was also the long-time controversial issue of environmental protection of ‘green belt’ lifestyle blocks. Auckland City’s future plan document highlights that the city will need up to an additional 780 hectares of business land over the next 30-40 years.
Mr Bayley says most of the areas suggested for expansion in the Auckland plan were viable, while the rationale behind some options was questionable.
“Expansion of the current Westgate retail zone across the motorway on the current northern boundary for example makes sense – replicating the development of Constellation Drive/Albany basin zones on the North Shore, albeit with the Westgate centre being more focused on smaller stand-alone department store outlets.”

“There’s an abundance of available land, and infrastructure construction is already well under way. This includes the soon-to-be-opened Hobsonville to Greenhithe dual carriageway linking the North Western motorway via a high speed route to the North Shore, thereby allowing access for both people and products.
“Moving further east from Westgate, Whenuapai looks attractive for the construction of a logistics hub if the proposed second airport were to eventuate at the present air force base,” he says.
“Should Whenuapai Air Force Base be built into a residential suburb as is also mooted, I would however suggest a buffer of some sort between commercial and industrial use. With a considerable coastal access plain running down to the Upper Waitemata reaches, such a subdivision would lend itself to homes of a higher calibre – and the owners of such properties would not necessarily choose to live directly across the road from a panel-beaters yard or widget manufacturing factory.
South of the CBD, the Auckland Plan identifies Drury, Paerata and Glenbrook along the base of the Bombay Hills as potential commercial and industrial expansion zones. Mr Bayley says while Drury and Paerata made logical choices, he was somewhat puzzled by the thought of developing industrial land around Glenbrook.
“Drury is already zoned for industrial usage and is ideally placed for easy motorway access. Development over say a 35-year period, underpinned by ongoing population growth throughout the Manukau and south/eastern suburb districts, could see a commercial merging with the existing Manukau City retail and office parks.”
However, Mr Bayley believes the potential for Glenbrook required further explanation.

He says the council’s Auckland-wide rationale of ‘protecting’ existing industrial zoned land from residential encroachment, while absolutely logical, was in fact contrary to what had been occurring over the past decade.
“What were once clearly defined industrial/commercial and residential boundaries have now become grey ‘mixed use’ zones. Section sizes and building structures will, I believe, self-govern the availability of this type of expansion – so it’s unlikely home owners will suddenly find a bulk retail outlet springing up in the neighbouring ‘quarter acre’ property.”
Comments and submissions on the Auckland Plan close on May 31.

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