Media Release

14 November 2008

Mayor welcomes plans for Flat Bush town centre

Concept plans for the new Flat Bush town centre are an exciting step forward in the development of the area, says Manukau Mayor Len Brown.

Mr Brown is welcoming the town centre draft master plan released today by Manukau City Council company Tomorrow’s Manukau Properties Limited (TMPL) and Melview Developments. The council has taken an integrated approach to planning the 1700 hectare Flat Bush area and as part of that set up TMPL to deliver the 20 hectare town centre.

“The new town centre will be at the heart and soul of the rapidly growing Flat Bush community. This concept has the elements needed to make that happen and it should deliver the council’s vision for a vibrant town centre for the community.

“The council wants to see a town centre that has a strong focus on people and the environment, is easy to get around and has high urban design standards. Melview’s initial plans for the town centre show they are going to create something special for Flat Bush,” Mr Brown says.

“The draft plan shows a wide diversity of retail, cafes, offices, community facilities and places to live. With Barry Curtis Park surrounding the town centre it should be a very desirable place.

“This is an important milestone for Flat Bush after a significant amount of planning and development work by the council over a number of years. It is exciting to see the town centre take a step closer to becoming reality.

“Although the community are keen to see a town centre as soon as possible it is important to remember that it will take time to develop.

“The chance to create a whole new town centre is an extremely rare opportunity, so this is an exciting project for everybody involved. I encourage people to give their feedback on the initial plans,” Mr Brown says.

About Flat Bush

Flat Bush is New Zealand’s largest and most comprehensively planned new town, taking shape on 1700 hectares in the south east of Manukau. It will be home to at least 40,000 people by 2020, a similar population to Nelson.

Not just another collection of subdivisions, Flat Bush will have a strong focus on people and the environment, large amounts of open space and high urban design standards.

While most of Flat Bush is being developed by the private sector, Manukau City Council is playing a strong role in planning and creating the town.

The new town has a unique focus on environmental sustainability, for example natural waterways and gullies are being retained to create a 45km green network throughout Flat Bush. As well as providing a slice of nature only five minutes walk from most households, they are also important in managing stormwater and providing for wildlife and native bush.   

The heart and soul of Flat Bush, a new 20 hectare town centre,  will be integrated with the new 94 hectare Barry Curtis Park, and built around a traditional main street concept. It will have a wide diversity of shops, cafes, offices, community facilities and apartments, bringing vitality, interest and character.

Manukau City Council company Tomorrow’s Manukau Properties Limited (TMPL) owns the town centre land and has an agreement with Melview Developments to complete the town centre design and develop it.

Flat Bush will also have five smaller neighbourhood centres and a mixture of housing densities. Seven new state schools will be built, as well as the  Baverstock Oaks primary school which opened in 2005.

One of the major features of Flat Bush will be Barry Curtis Park which has been designed to create 'a regionally significant park that reflects the people and cultures of Manukau.'

The council’s work on Flat Bush won the Gold award for Environmentally Sustainable Project at the 2007 International Awards for Liveable Communities.

Note to editors: For enquiries about the town centre draft master plan please contact TMPL Chief Executive Mike Higgins on (09) 273 1101 or Melview Developments Managing Director Nigel McKenna on (09) 379 9666.

ENDS

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