Submissions on private plan changes seeking to increase residential, commercial and retail development in Drury are open until October 22.
Developers Oyster Capital, Fulton Hogan and Kiwi Property want about 330 hectares of future urban land rezoned as residential, business and open space.
Accepted by Auckland Council’s Planning Committee, any changes still need to be signed off by the full council, after public consultation and any hearings.
Council staff have added a fourth private plan change, Karaka and Drury Limited’s request to rezone 34 hectares for mixed use housing to the public notification.
Franklin Local Board chair Andy Baker says the changes proposed are large and would require significant infrastructure spending.
“Council is frequently criticised for failing to ensure adequate infrastructure is in place before allowing developments to go ahead, so we will need to understand what it all means for transport, stormwater, sewerage, parks and community facilities.
“Quite obviously we will need to know how we could pay that, especially when we are seeing budgets slashed everywhere in the wake of Covid-19.”
Growth plans around Drury, Opāheke, Paerata and Pukekohe allow for large population increases. Drury is integral to that, with a more than 50-hectare town centre envisaged to service the thousands of homes to be built.
A Drury resident, Mr Baker, says plans for the area are exciting but it ms essential solid planning including looking at how things can be paid for continues.
In the meantime, the plan changes are open for public submission so it is imperative that people take the time to look at them and have their say
More information on the proposed Auckland Unitary Plan changes 48, 49, 50 and 51 is found here.
