Sizeable city-limit rural landholding with subdivision potential placed on the market for sale
A sizeable block of undeveloped rural land strategically located between a landmark mountain range and the current edge of Auckland’s metropolitan urban boundary – making it prime for residential subdivision – has been placed on the market for sale.
The 14.14-hectares of gently contoured freehold land in the Taupaki district of Auckland’s north-west quadrant is zoned Rural-Countryside Living under the Auckland Council Plan. The block is situated in peaceful rural surroundings along the route connecting Waitakere Village just a few kilometres away to the south-west, and Kumeu to the north, with Westgate shopping centre some 23 minutes’ drive to the east.
It’s Rural-Countryside Living zoning provides for rural lifestyle living in areas which are generally close to urban Auckland or rural and coastal towns – such as Kumeu. The zone is defined as being a buffer between rural productive land and more built-up areas – with the potential for rural site subdivision down to 1,000-square metre sections subject to council approval, or 0.8-hectares if transferrable development rights (TDR) are established .
Characterised for sustaining low density rural lifestyle properties, Auckland Council’s Rural-Countryside Living zoning acknowledges that land within the classification may not have significant rural production value for commercial activities such as dairy farming, horticulture, or viticulture.
The council’s zoning also reflects that subdivision on some scale may also have occurred over many decades as original large landholdings have already been broken down into smaller sections.
Matching both aspects of this definition, a 14.14-hectare (35-acres) property at 141 Amreins Road is now being marketed for sale by deadline treaty through Barfoot & Thompson Birkenhead, with the process closing on February 27 unless sold prior.
Barfoot & Thompson Birkenhead, salesperson Lulu Ma said that as metropolitan Auckland continued to expand further out into greenfield locations, the Amreins Road property in Taupaki represented an opportunity to develop a lifestyle living alternative to the more compact medium-density neighbourhoods which have been built around the outer reaches of the north/western motorway.
“Auckland’s rural urban boundary (RUB) continues to expand across the city’s north-western sector in locations such as Swanson, Massey West, Whenuapai, and Huapai – which have all experienced dynamic growth in mid-density residential development over the past two decades,” Ms Ma said.
“As a result, the demand for bigger rural residential lifestyle blocks has consequently moved deeper into the traditional farming areas – such as Taupaki. The property at 141 Amreins Road is one such address where it’s future lies as being a residential lifestyle enclave.”
Ms Ma said patches of mature pine, manuka, conifer, gum and rimu tree plantings were interspersed across the block – delivering a degree of ready-made privacy for potential building sites. Neighbouring addresses around the periphery of the block are of a similar configuration – thereby ensuring the lifestyle ambience of the address will continue.
“With approximately 162-metres of frontage onto Amreins Road, there is the opportunity, subject of course to council consent, to establish multiple entry points to residential sites which may emerge within a concept masterplan for the site,” she said.
Auckland Council’s Future Development Strategy 2023-2053 plan notes the rapid evolution of the city’s housing stock between 2017 and 2023 saw more than 100,000 residences built, reflecting that: “Aucklanders are happy to buy (homes), and developers can profitably provide, a wide range of new, more intensive forms of (residential) development.”
The Future Development Strategy 2023-2053 plan highlighted that this trend would continue for the immediate future well into the 2030s.
“Based on the usual resident population projection, Auckland will need at least the equivalent number of additional dwellings, to bring the total to around 773,000 dwellings from the current levels,” added the report.
“The Future Development Strategy grows the roles of Albany, Westgate and Manukau in importance to support sub-regional activity. The aim is that these nodes will generate an increasing number of employment opportunities, bringing housing and jobs together.”
“Rural lifestyle growth will remain focused into those areas zoned as ‘countryside living’, away from the most environmentally sensitive and economically productive areas.”
Ms Ma said the countryside block for sale at Amreins Road amply delivered on the council’s long-term vision criteria by not only offering more building sites for new homes to be created close to the Westgate employment and suburban services hub, but also comprised land which was not being used for scaled rural production – and was therefore amply applicable for subdivision.
