Massey North / Westgate
The Massey North/Westgate area is poised to
become one of Waitakere City’s key new town centres.
Westgate has so far been one of the most commercially
successful developments in Waitakere City. The centre is
located on the edge
of the North Western Motorway (State Highway 16)
and Hobsonville Road (State Highway 18), which has made it
very accessible. It has many useful services and community
facilities including the
Massey library, community centre, retail services, medical
services, cinemas and entertainment.
History
Up until the
1960s, Massey was a rural area with very few houses. The
development of the North Western Motorway and improved local roads
led to a significant growth in Massey’s population from 1966
to 1981.
There was a lot of residential subdivision, especially in
Massey and Royal Heights.
West Harbour to the north of Royal Road was also developed as
the city sprawled towards the city limits.
The Westgate shopping centre was opened in 1998, and in
undeveloped areas residential development continued to appear.
Some of this new housing is ‘medium density’, a different
style to that of the older traditional housing subdivisions
nearby.
What’s Happening Now?
The Westgate centre and Massey North is set
to become a major bustling centre for people living in
Massey, West Harbour and other areas nearby. There will be
regular public transport, with express buses to Auckland
City. It’s expected the population of the Massey North and
existing
Westgate area will rise to 8000 by 2021. Employment
opportunities in the existing and future city centre area and industrial
developments expected to the north will provide for
7200 new jobs or more. These changes will see the area become a
comprehensively planned town centre that will provide a full
range of opportunities for work, living and recreation.
The expansion of Massey and Westgate
(Plan Change 15)
The area is close to the edge of the Metropolitan Urban
Limit (MUL) that defines the edge of the city. Waitakere
City has applied for the limit of the urban area here to be
extended in order for existing shopping centre to redevelop into a major regional centre with a full range of
services that will benefit an area the size of Massey.
It is important for this to happen to create more
opportunity for
people to work locally. It will provide more local services for the
fast-growing north of the City, as well as more places to
live.
This extension of the city to the North
of the existing shopping centre has been proposed through
the District Plan Change 15.
Massey Matters
The existing Massey is also part of an innovative plan to revitalise the
city’s older areas. In the “old Massey”, the council is working
alongside the local community and other partners to develop
a programme for long term, community driven, sustainable
neighbourhood renewal and development in the Massey area.
The suburb has been selected for attention following a
survey that identified the need to bolster services for the
21,000 residents in the area. Almost ninety percent of
the residents surveyed ‘agreed or strongly agreed’ that
Massey was a good place to live. However, the vast majority
felt that ‘outsiders’ would not share that view. Residents,
community groups, businesses, schools and other
organisations are working with the council to develop a
long-term plan for Massey.
The survey findings of more than 400 people are now being
implemented – Building Community in Massey – Our Place,
Our People.
Massey Link: Connecting The Community
There is a concern that pedestrians are crossing the
motorway illegally and this resulted in a death in 2005.
That has prompted a comprehensive look at the best and
safest ways to get local people around their neighbourhood.
Various options are
outlined here and we now want your feedback.
The future Westgate
Town Centre, employment and residential areas
The outlined growth area (Plan Change 15) covers around
160 hectares of land
to the north of Hobsonville Road. It is opposite the
existing Westgate shopping centre and is located between the
existing State Highway 16 and where a new route has been
designated for the motorway to run north towards Kumeu.
The current plans will provide opportunities
for businesses capable of providing around 4,500 jobs and
residential areas catering for over 4,000 people.
Massey North and Westgate fall into the
Northern Strategic Growth Area (NORSGA).
District Plan changes were drafted in 2005. Submissions
and further submissions on the proposed changes closed in
December 2005. A hearing process is in the hands of the
Auckland Regional Council. It is expected that final
decisions from this process will be made in 2007, after
which the plan change can become operative if there is no
appeal.
An artist impression of the future town centre
Improved Transport
Infrastructure
The new Massey North/Westgate town centre
will also have a public transport hub for buses and a park and ride
facility open to everyone.
There are major plans for new motorways in the area.
A
motorway-to-motorway connection between a new Upper Harbour
motorway and the North-Western Motorway
at Westgate will be built. This new north western motorway
link will create an alternative route between Auckland City
and the Northshore through West Auckland. Once completed this will provide an alternative route to the
current SH18 which connects Waitakere City with North Shore
City and passes through the developing residential areas of Greenhithe and Hobsonville.
An extension of the North-Western Motorway
to Brigham Creek Road towards Kumeu is also being planned.
You can check the
Opus website for updates on timelines and progress of
the motorway project.
As more people will be living and working in and around
the new town centre close by, the new public transport
infrastructure and improved bus services will provide a
better option for people to travel easily between Westgate, Kumeu, Hobsonville, Henderson, Auckland City and North Shore
city. More people using public transport can help improve
the service and also cut down on traffic congestion.
Business, Industry and Jobs
Conveniently located close to the future
town centre, flood land is available for an employment area
near to the motorway. This area could provide employment for around 4500
people, who will be within walking distance of the town
centre. These nearby industries and the people working there
will support the economic viability of the town centre.
Housing
Other areas in and around the new Massey
North/Westgate town centre and the industrial area have been ear
marked for more housing. The intention is that this housing
is located close to the new town centre, so that people can
easily walk to shopping, entertainment, and leisure
facilities.
Other relevant
information
There are a number of planning documents
and agreements covering this area. They include:
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