Mangere future housing land challenged

Councillors joined a move by Save Our Unique Landscape, which called on the council to revoke its support for the Auckland Special Housing Area status for the site.

A project to build up to 480 homes on a Mangere site, including ancestral burial caves, should be switched to another site which is near Auckland's main waste water treatment plant, say local residents and some city councillors.

Seven councillors joined a move by Save Our Unique Landscape (Soul), backed by 2500 signatures on petition, which called on Auckland Council to revoke its support for the Auckland Special Housing Area (SHA) status for the site at Thursday morning's full council meeting.

The SHA borders the Otuataua Stonefield Historic Reserve and is in a rural part of Mangere called Ihumatao.

It is 32.7ha of privately owned land and Fletcher Residential has applied to the council to rezone most of the land to mixed housing suburban, contemplating a development including some affordable housing.

Soul spokesman Brendan Corbett said the campaign supported any developments which meant affordable housing in Mangere - providing they did not impinge or diminish the community's overall value.

"A housing development at Ihumatao within the last remnants of rural Mangere does not match the criteria of the SHA legislation as it seriously lacks infrastructure and amenities."

Mr Corbett said Soul had identified a "viable alternative."

This was the 33.5ha Airport Oaks site along Ascot Rd, which was owned by the council.
He said the council land was closer to jobs, services and shops and would cause none of the issues that have been raised with the Ihumatao proposal.

"Council planning officers have recently told Soul that there is no 'unsurmountable problems with using this land for residential development'," said Mr Corbett.

Watercare Services owns the land along Ascot Rd.

A Watercare spokeswoman said it is designated as odour buffer land for the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"The designation means there are strict controls in place regarding what the land can be used for.

"Clearly, given its purpose, it is not suitable for residential development.

"The suggestion that there is 'no insurmountable problems with using this land for residential development' - as suggested in SOUL's media release - is therefore incorrect. Using this land is not an option."

Any council decision to revoke its support for the Ihumatao SHA would have to go to Housing Minister Nick Smith.

A report to go to Thusday morning's meeting says the minister does not consider there are legal grounds to revoke the Order in Council which declared the SHA.