Vacant land for business running out

Vacant land for business running out

Vacant industrial land in Manukau, the Auckland region’s manufacturing and distribution hub, is likely to run out within less than 15 years.

The estimate is included in Manukau City Council’s draft spatial plan which the council endorsed last night. The plan was developed to help Manukau’s planning and will now be made available as a resource to help the new Auckland Council develop a plan for the whole region. This will be a legislative requirement for the new council.

The spatial plan includes a strategic approach to deciding where, when and how the region will grow into the future. Manukau’s draft plan looks forward to 2060, taking account of emerging challenges, drivers of change and opportunities. It identifies transformation projects, including for the international gateway area around the airport.

Work done for the draft plan shows that to 2060 there will be a demand for 1387 hectares of industrial land and 129 hectares of commercial land in Manukau. However vacant land around the airport/Mangere area is expected to be used by 2016/17 and by 2023/24 in the Wiri/Manukau central area.

The draft spatial plan also shows that Manukau doesn’t have capacity within the current metropolitan urban limits (MUL) to accommodate the forecast population of 630,000 residents by 2060. However the land use model, market forces and the nature of the community shows Manukau will only have capacity for 525,000 residents.

Manukau Mayor Len Brown says the plan throws up a range of challenges for the Auckland region, but it also identifies opportunities

“This is the type of information we need to make effective plans for Manukau and the Auckland region We need to know what challenges are likely in the future so we can set priorities.

“This work gives the new Auckland Council a head-start on developing the spatial plan for the whole region.

“What it shows for the southern part of the Auckland region is that there will need to be future growth corridors outside the current urban limits for residential and industrial development.

“The spatial plan is not just about where to build, but also about economic growth, and community growth. It is about building communities and deciding what our priorities will be as the region grows.

“Our draft spatial plan identifies specific characteristics of Manukau that have a major impact on the whole of Auckland and opportunities to support them. These include enhancing the international gateway to New Zealand around the airport and supporting the logistics and distribution hub in the city.

“The other important one is making communities of opportunity, areas of deprivation, a priority,” Mr Brown says.

Manukau City Council has now endorsed in principle the draft Manukau Spatial Plan and has completed its work on it. It is expected to be used as a resource by the new Auckland Council.

ENDS

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