Five hectare block key to 50ha residential development, reports Colin Taylor
KEY POINTS:
A key five-hectare site in Grove Rd, Papakura, that forms a pivotal part of a 50-hectare block undergoing rezoning to residential is up for sale.
Marty Roestenburg, of Bayleys Manukau, says the Papakura District Council has taken housing affordability as well as restricting urban sprawl to heart in supporting the rezoning of the land to Residential 8A, which allows for high density housing and/or retirement village development.
Roestenburg says because of its strategic location and topography, the land for sale at 61 Grove Rd will provide a crucial component to the drainage and storm water services that will be needed in the future development of all of the 50ha block.
"The site we are marketing is in a strategic position and holds the key to the development of the whole block which is expected to be rezoned in about six to 12 months' time," he says.
He is marketing the property in conjunction with Raymond Mountfort, of the Bayleys Counties office. It is for sale by deadline private treaty, with offers invited before 4pm on May 15.
The 5ha block is on the eastern side of Grove Rd and within 3km of central Papakura. Grove Rd is a sealed access road which is kerbed and channelled with street lighting in the areas adjoining residential development, but with gravel water tables and grass berms where the road adjoins rural property.
The local shop and service station are within 300m of the site, with the Cosgrave Road Primary School just 1.5km away.
The block has largely been used for grazing horses and cattle and comes with a four bedroom house. It is set in established grounds with a swimming pool and a tree-lined driveway and post and rail fencing.
The 5ha forms part of 50ha of land undergoing a private plan change initiated by all of the owners of the land who have formed the Cosgrave Residents and Landowners Association.
Roestenburg says Papakura council is keen to see modern urban design such as in nearby Addison and McLennan developments.
The Addison and McLennan developments are very much a blueprint, if you like, of what the council wants to achieve for this area. The McLennan development is on a 24ha site which formerly housed the Papakura army camp, with a new school and other child-focused amenities at one end and open parkland at the other and offers an integrated master plan for a complete neighbourhood.
The Addison development in Takanini provides for common park areas, tree-lined streets with a range of housing designs to choose from, to create a distinctive and vibrant neighbourhood, says its creator, McConnell Property. It has been hailed as a good example of modern urban design and planning.
On its website, McConnell Property says specific studies conducted in the United Kingdom show houses in neighbourhoods like Addison, which are based on master planning principles, enjoy premiums of 11-15 per cent over their more conventional counterparts.
"This is certainly true for Addison with residents not only seeing an increase in the average house price but a higher value over houses in surrounding areas," Roestenburg says.
The purchaser of the Grove Rd property will need to work alongside council and the relevant engineers to submit a combined structure plan and development concept. This will allow construction to start shortly after zoning confirmation which is anticipated in six to 12 months' time.
Mountfort says the Papakura population is continuing to grow at a substantially greater rate than other parts of Auckland and there is strong demand for quality new housing at affordable pricing levels.
