Buyer could 'piggy back' on Pukekohe land

An aerial view of the large block of land for sale at 1700 Buckland Rd, Pukekohe.

The first sizeable chunk of Pukekohe land with the potential to be rezoned to include light industrial and business uses has been placed on the market for sale.

The 4.3639 hectare site at 1700 Buckland Rd is directly opposite Counties Racing Club and Pukekohe Park Raceway and is currently zoned for Rural use.

The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) has the land identified as a proposed Future Urban Zone 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.

However, the Pukekohe land vendor and adjoining land owners are seeking a residential, business or light industrial zoning for their properties. Plan changes are required to change the zoning from Future Urban Zone and the zoning requests are currently before Auckland Council.

"In the meantime, this first piece of land has been placed on the market for sale by negotiation," says Graeme Moore, salesperson with Bayleys Counties.

"The triangular gently sloping shaped property has almost 400 metres of road frontage and has a holding income from a tenanted three bedroom bungalow, leased grazing, and for public parking on race days at the adjacent track."

Moore says the property could be easily linked to Pukekohe's well established industrial and business zone around Manukau Rd and is 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, complementing public use of the raceway," he says.

Pukekohe is identified in the PAUP 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 services from Tuakau through Buckland - where the land is for sale - to south Pukekohe. This would enabling the southern segment of Pukekohe to proceed as a possible area for first stage growth," Moore says.

"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."

Moore says the land owner is a member of a motivated group of like-minded land owners who had formed the Pukekohe South Residents Group - collectively holding about 130 ha of land zoned Future urban.

"The Pukekohe South Residents Group as a cost-effective singular entity has presented a unified front at the Unitary Plan hearings and mediations, and it will continue to do so at subsequent hearings. The body has already been recognised by Auckland Council as a legitimate community group submitting on the Proposed Unitary Plan process," Moore says.

"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 this sale represents a chance for a new owner to join the Pukekohe South Residents Group and literally 'piggy-back' on the rezoning framework already in place."