Dear John,

Papakura State Highway One onramps south to be Closed for three months

This is an extra Collins’ Comments as I have received this Warning notice from Waka Kotahi

Papakura On Ramps south will be closed from 26 June until September 2023

The night of Monday 26 June, Waka Kotahi will fully close (24/7) Auckland’s Papakura southbound on-ramp for up to three months, ie through to September.

• In addition, the Papakura southbound off-ramp extreme right-hand turn (Karaka direction) will be fully closed (24/7) for two months.

Key journey information follows

Motorists wanting to get onto the motorway heading south will be detoured via Beach Road and Great South Road to access the motorway at Drury Interchange.

There will be an increase in vehicles on Great South Road and Beach Road during this extended southbound on-ramp closure. 

During morning (AM) and afternoon peak (PM), moderate delays are expected at the following intersections:

• Great South Road, Settlement Road and Beach Road (AM and PM)
• Beach Road, Elliot Street and Chichester Drive (PM only)
• Hingaia Road, Harbourside Drive and Hinau Road (AM and PM)

Moderate delays at peak times are also expected for motorists on Waihoehoe Road approaching Drury’s Great South Road/Waihoehoe Road/Norrie Road roundabout.

I am wanting to know why the Labour Government’s transport minister isn’t funding this southern motorway work to get it done in the shortest possible time. Having all transport delayed for three months on this very high usage part of State Highway One is totally unacceptable.

Auckland Council Future Development Strategy Consultation 

Secondly, I would like you to ‘Have your say’ on the Auckland Council’s Future Development Strategy.

Recently I met a delegation of people who live in the Drury- South Drury -Opaheke area in June following a decision by the Auckland Council Planning Subcommittee Chaired by Councillor Richard Hill and Deputy Chair Angela Dalton passing the wording of the section in the Council’s Future Development Strategy in relation to the area around Drury, Drury south and Opaheke.

The delegation was concerned about what it meant in relation to consenting new housing projects with the need for building infrastructure in Auckland South. They were to meet with Councillor Angela Dalton to discuss this and I hope she was able to tell them. I urged them to get an understanding and then to go online and comment in the latest consultation opportunity around the Future Development Project that sets out the big picture vision for how and where we should grow over the next 30 years to achieve the best outcomes for Auckland.  

Auckland Council opened consultation on its Future Development Strategy in June and it finishes on 4 July. You may want and or need to see what the Strategy says in the attached Appendices and have your say on their website:  

https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/future-development-strategy?tool=survey_tool#tool_tab

Appendix One

Future Development Strategy for The South

The South includes the large future urban areas of Puhinui, Takanini, Hingaia, Opaheke-Drury, Drury West and Pukekohe-Paerata. The rural settlements in the south include Oruarangi, Maraetai, Clevedon, Clevedon Waterways, Karaka North, Kingseat, Clarks Beach, Glenbrook Beach and Patumahoe. Together, they comprise a large land area of approximately 6,706 hectares with an anticipated dwelling capacity of 50,600 and an anticipated employment capacity of 30,300. The south makes up the largest proportion of future urban areas in Auckland (45 percent).

Of the total future urban land area in the south, Opaheke-Drury and Drury West comprise 2,180 hectares and Paerata and Pukekohe comprise 1,704 hectares.

Special Housing Areas and subsequent live zoning through the Unitary Plan feature strongly in the first year of sequencing in the south including at Hingaia, Paerata, Pukekohe, Drury West and Drury South.

The amount of land identified in the Unitary Plan for future urbanisation in the Rural Settlements significantly contributes to the overall supply of land in the south. Together these areas total 1,046 hectares and will contribute approximately 7,550 dwellings. Much of this land is already live zoned (781 hectares). While the areas in the south present significant opportunities for development, areas such as Takanini and Opaheke are significantly constrained by flooding and geotechnical issues and will require further investigation to identify comprehensive solutions before development can commence. The south also requires significant investment in transport and wastewater infrastructure.

Page 31 of 36 Puhinui 479 ha (business) Takanini 591 ha Approx. 4,500 dwellings Live zone 20 ha 295 dwellings Cosgrave Rd Area 56 ha Approx. 515 dwellings 1 local centre Drury West Live zone 87 ha 1,350 dwellings Stage 1 392 ha Approx. 4,200 dwellings Stage 2 552 ha Approx. 5,650 dwellings 1 town and 2 local centres Paerata Live zone 326 ha Approx. 4,550 dwellings Remaining area 201 ha Approx. 1,800 dwellings 1 local centre Pukekohe 1,088 ha Approx.7,200 dwellings Live zone 89 ha Approx. 720 dwellings.

No new centres Opaheke/Drury 1,149 ha Approx. 8,200 dwellings 1 town and 2 local centres Hingaia 264ha Approx. 3,070 dwellings SOUTH Drury South 366 ha (including business) 1000 dwellings South summary Total hectares: 6,706 ha Live zoned area: 2,370 Total dwellings: Approx. 50,600 Total jobs: Approx. 30,300 Rural Settlements Maraetai 89 ha Approx. 327 dwellings Oruarangi 154 ha Approx. 738 dwellings Karaka North 115 ha Approx. 744 dwellings Kingseat 298 ha Approx. 1,842 dwellings Glenbrook Beach 89 ha Approx. 1,050 dwellings Patumahoe 10 ha Approx. 109 dwellings Clarks Beach 122 ha Approx. 1,351 dwellings Clevedon 109 ha Approx. 1,041 dwellings Clevedon Waterways 60 ha Approx. 350 dwellings Page 32 of 36 Key considerations for the South Takanini.

The future urban zone in Takanini is located within the large Papakura Stream catchment and the majority of the area is low lying and subject to significant flooding hazards. Much of the area is also subject to significant geotechnical constraints due to peat soils.

Initial cost estimates to provide a comprehensive stormwater solution to the area were considered to be high with a relatively low to moderate dwelling yield. This was considered to make development possible in the medium to longer term. Since the adoption of the Future Urban Land Supply Strategy in 2015, further analysis of recent stormwater project costs in the Takanini area have been undertaken. The results of this analysis indicate that stormwater costs for the future urban zone remain high and further work is required to understand the viability of development in this area in the medium to long term. The Takanini future urban area has therefore been sequenced in the second half of the third decade (2043-2047).

However, the future urban area at Cosgrave Road, Takanini, comprising 56 hectares, has been sequenced earlier as it is able to be serviced by the Cascades Road conveyance channel. A 2023 – 2027 timeframe for this area also enables transport solutions to be developed. Hingaia, Opaheke-Drury and Drury West Proposed interim solutions provide wastewater capacity for initial development in the live zoned areas of Hingaia, Drury West and Drury South as well as Drury West Stage 1 from 2022. In the longer term, augmentation of the South and Southwestern Interceptors is required to provide wastewater capacity for the full build-out of Drury West Stage 2 and Opaheke-Drury which are sequenced between 2028 and 2032. Complex inter-catchment floodplain interactions require that all four affected stormwater catchments are considered together to ensure that early development in one area does not preclude the remainder of the future urban zone. A comprehensive catchment-wide and potentially cross-catchment solution for the flooding constraints in Opaheke-Drury, in combination with the completion of the final wastewater infrastructure, is required before development can occur in this area. The later sequencing of Drury West Stage 2 also allows for the provision of a new expressway between Drury, Paerata and Pukekohe, which is required to alleviate capacity and safety issues on State Highway 22. Pukekohe and Paerata includes a 328 hectare Special Housing Area at Wesley which is expected to provide around 4,550 dwellings over the next 25 years. A further 1,800 dwellings, outside the Special Housing Area, are expected to be provided in the wider Paerata area. Pukekohe has had comprehensive legacy planning and is expected to provide around 8,000 dwellings and a number of employment opportunities, leveraging off the existing town. Upgrades to water, wastewater and stormwater are required to enable large scale development to proceed. Construction of additional water reservoir capacity is planned as well as upgrades to the Pukekohe wastewater treatment plant and expanded wastewater networks to service growth in the area. Pukekohe and Paerata require less stormwater investment compared to Takanini, Opaheke and Drury. The transport network has not been designed for the anticipated growth but this being addressed through Auckland Transport’s Supporting Growth project. The existing rail network connects Pukekohe with the rest of Auckland. The network will be strengthened by the extension of electric trains to Pukekohe and by the addition of extra rail capacity. A new train station at Paerata will improve access to trains through the southern corridor. A new Page 33 of 36 expressway between Pukekohe, Paerata and Drury will link to State Highway 1. Planned safety improvements and upgrades on State Highway 22 will improve travel between Drury and Paerata and a bypass will be constructed south of Pukekohe Town Centre for trucks and other traffic. The Wesley Special Housing Area has been live zoned through the Unitary Plan process and is therefore has the appropriate zoning in place.

The remainder of the Paerata area has been sequenced in the first half of decade one as the second phase of growth at Paerata. Pukekohe is sequenced in the second half of decade one (2023 – 2027), excluding most of Belmont (Pukekohe) which is already live zoned. The early sequencing of Pukekohe will allow for the development of a comprehensive structure plan for the entire future urban area. A structure plan for the whole of Pukekohe will enable efficient and integrated land use and infrastructure solutions to be found. Rural Settlements Maraetai: the wastewater treatment plant will be upgraded as required in order to maintain discharge compliance and to accommodate growth. Oruarangi: The area has sufficient water and wastewater bulk capacity. Structure planning will need to take cultural heritage and landscape values into account, consistent with the Mangere Gateway Precinct. Puhinui: The remaining future urban zone is not anticipated to be development ready until 2030 due to transport constraints and anticipated market readiness. Clarks Beach: A new wastewater outfall at Clarks Beach will be required to service new development, subject to a sub-regional wastewater discharge consent which has currently been applied for. Glenbrook Beach: New development will depend on the new Clarks Beach wastewater outfall, and structure planning for the new area to be developed.

Appendix Two