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A class of Masters architecture students are planning a new town near Wellsford to show how planning for growth on Auckland’s fringes could prevent ad hoc sprawl and more efficient infrastructure.
Unitec associate professor of urban design Dr Dushko Bogunovich says the 32 students will develop a master plan for a town of 500 dwellings near the Pakiri coast as part of the class project. Latter in the year they will design a commercial and social centre to serve the basic needs of the small community.
Dr Bogunovich says the project will help demonstrate an alternative model of growth to the compact city-centred development proposed by Auckland Council in the Unitary Plan.
“North of Auckland has long been neglected by Council planners, but growth will force its way into the area no matter what,” Dr Bogunovich says. “Both north and south of the Super City have been ignored by the Unitary Plan because Council planners have taken the position that growth needs to be contained. But Auckland is irreparably a linear city-region, growing north and south. It’s a process you can’t stop.”
A better model is to plan for growth along SH1 and invest in transport infrastructure along a single corridor, he says. This would be more efficient and would better fit Auckland’s geography.
“The compact city design won’t work for Auckland. It’s a very twisted city on an isthmus, full of volcanoes, bays and estuaries, which makes transport around the city very difficult. We can’t have a big rail network, but we can invest in a couple of good transport links heading north and south, with a second railway line and harbour crossing.”
Wellsford’s location on SH1 and proximity to the scenic Pakiri Beach and the Kaipara Harbour make it an attractive area for growth. As the northern motorway is extended the commute to Auckland will also shorten, and as more jobs move online, the need for commuting will reduce.
“Wellsford is a good example of the next big wave of development, which we expect will happen regardless of what is adopted with the Unitary Plan.
“The town should grow and could easily double in size in 10 or 15 years, so lets plan for a bigger population and a number of satellite communities connecting Wellsford with Kaipara Harbour and Pakiri. These beautiful natural areas could be really viable as lifestyle communities with services provided in Wellsford.
“If you plan this before cowboy developers come, then you can have a good scheme for regional development, rather than the haphazard growth we are having now.”
Wellsford also had the advantage of having cheaper land for housing.
“If land is cheaper in Wellsford, why shouldn’t we develop more housing? Some of the pressure on house prices will be relieved by de-centralising.”
In contrast, Council has planned for limited growth in Wellsford and its population models predict the area will shrink in the future.
Previous classes have developed plans for new townships near Otara and other outlying areas of Auckland, but this is the first project focused on the north of Auckland.
