20 March 2017

Media Release

Upper North Shore residents make big call: “no more housing starts until Penlink assured” - a message likely to be attractive to other stressed Auckland communities

Michael Barnett, head of the Auckland Chamber was responding to the overwhelming verdict of nearly 1000 Silverdale and Whangaparaoa Peninsula respondents to an Auckland Chamber of Commerce survey conducted through the Chamber’s website.

The survey aim was to test the strength of support within the local business community to the Chamber’s campaign seeking an immediate construction start to the ‘ready to go’ Penlink Project.

“I predicted a strong response from the business community. What has taken me by surprise has been the more than 350 deeply felt personal comments, many from residents reflecting anger and frustration over the impact traffic congestion is having on every aspect of people’s lives – unable to get to work on time, missed flights and hospital appointments, abandoning recreation options and much more.

Living conditions are now so bad that people trying to sell their house and move to somewhere with less congestion and easier to get to work and school are frustrated by a lack of buyer interest.

Morning peak traffic queues now typically stretch back from the SH1 motorway intersection at Silverdale 5km in two directions – on the Hibiscus Highway past Orewa, and along the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

Key survey findings included:

• 98% support for the Chamber campaign seeking an immediate construction start.

• 97% support a partnership involving the council, central government and private financiers to get construction underway immediately.

• 90% want no more housing starts until a Penlink construction start is confirmed.

• 92% support either a $2.50 or $3 toll.

“The deep community frustration this survey revealed is likely to be reflected in other communities across Auckland” said Mr Barnett. “They too are fed up over the slow response to stormwater, sewage flowing into the harbour, housing issues and other infrastructure logjams holding back Auckland’s progress.”

© Scoop Media