Action to block housing withdrawn

Legal action to block development of a key Auckland growth zone has been lifted under an agreement to negotiate a multimillion-dollar upgrade of Papakura's main motorway interchange.

Transit NZ has withdrawn an appeal to the Environment Court against a planning scheme change for about 1400 new homes on the Hingaia Peninsula, after agreeing yesterday to start discussions with developers and the Papakura District Council on how to pay for the upgrade.

The agreement followed a three-day hearing in Auckland by a court panel headed by Judge Jeff Smith, who last month rejected a bid by Transit to require a Southland developer to pay the full cost of a new intersection.

Both the district and regional councils hope the picturesque peninsula overlooking Manukau Harbour will eventually house more than 10,000 people as Papakura's population more than doubles to about 90,000.

But the peninsula is on the opposite side of the motorway to Papakura township, and the development would boost traffic volumes already converging on the interchange at peak times, including commuters from Pukekohe and beyond.

Early improvements now envisaged by Transit include traffic signals and a duplication of the road bridge over the motorway, between Hingaia and Papakura, to be followed at some later stage by a new northbound on-ramp.

Papakura mayor John Robertson, whose council became the target of Transit's appeal after changing its district scheme to allow the development, hailed the agreement last night as "great news" for his district.

He said the council had always believed the appeal unnecessary, and that the parties should have discussed the issues "around a table rather than in court".

Transit allowed an initial 550 sections to be developed, but lodged its appeal to oppose further growth until the interchange could be upgraded at a potential cost of more than $10 million, even though such a project was not in its 10-year state highways forecast.

Its chief executive, Rick van Barneveld, confirmed to the Herald last night that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with the other parties for discussions to start without delay on a potential cost-sharing arrangement.

He said Transit had not been in a position before now to hold such discussions in good faith, but was very keen to achieve a resolution.

"We certainly imagine that the paying players are likely to be the developers and Transit," he said.

A spokesman for the developers could not be reached for comment, but Mr van Barneveld said Judge Smith had in an oral judgment left no double that he was expecting "a reasonable discussion to proceed in good faith" on cost-sharing.