Hobsonville

Hobsonville has historically been an agricultural and horticultural area. The district runs between the North Western Motorway and State Highway 16 in the west and the Hobsonville Peninsula and Upper Harbour Bridge in the east.

History	Hobsonville Peninsula
Background	Hobsonville Corridor and Village
Hobsonville's Future	Environmental Issues
New Motorways	Planning Documents

History

In the early development of Auckland, significant clay and brickworks operated in the area at places such as Limeburners Bay and the Clarks Brickworks. In the 1920s the Hobsonville Airbase was built. In the past 20 years, some residential areas have sprung up along Hobsonville Road and a number of rural properties have become lifestyle blocks.

Background

Hobsonville Airbase

In 2002, the Royal New Zealand Airforce started closing down its operations at the Hobsonville airbase. Parts of the airbase have been offered back to previous landowners and government departments. A mayoral taskforce was set up in 2000 to create a vision for the base's future.

Workshops were held in 2001 and plans drawn up for the area's future include a mix of housing, retail and commercial activities, recreation, open spaces, Hobsonville Peninsula and a marine industry manufacturing area.

The area referred to as the “Hobsonville Corridor”, between the new State Highway 18 motorway and Hobsonville Road has been identified as an area with the potential for further urban growth, close to other urban areas of the city. The aim is to boost the economy in this area by encouraging industries, shops and other businesses, creating jobs and housing. It will also lessen the need for Waitakere people to travel long distances to and from work and home. This will also benefit people and the environment with fewer long car trips, less pollution and less road congestion.

Workshops were held in 2001, 2004 and in 2006 to consider the vision for Hobsonville Village and the Hobsonville Corridor.

For more information about urban growth in the North West of Waitakere City, check the Growth Management Strategy.

Hobsonville's Future

The redevelopment of the former Hobsonville airbase is planned to get underway in 2008. For more information please click on Hobsonville Land Company.

Waitakere City is seeking planning changes to allow for the urban limits to be extended in the Hobsonville area to help cope with the rapid growth in the city's population. It is expected that just over 400 hectares of land will become available for urban development in the Hobsonville area before 2011. District Plan changes were drafted in 2005 and submissions on the proposed changes closed in December 2005. A process for further submissions and hearings 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 development can start. As part of the Council's application to extend the urban limits, it has notified a plan change to convert rural land across all of the old airbase land.

For more information on these applications visit ARC's website.

New Motorways

There are major plans for new motorways in the Hobsonville area.
The Upper Harbour Corridor extends from the Upper Harbour Highway and Paul Matthews Drive intersection in the east to the end of the North-Western Motorway at Westgate. It includes an extension of the North-Western Motorway to Brigham Creek Road.
The project will provide approximately 15km of 4 lane divided motorway with provision for developing future bus priority lanes on the shoulders. The project includes interchanges at Albany Highway, Greenhithe Road, Tauhinu Road, Brigham Creek Road, Trig Road and Hobsonville Road and includes a motorway-to-motorway connection with the North-Western Motorway at Westgate.

Once completed, it will provide an alternative route to the current State Highway 18 which connects Waitakere City with North Shore City and passes through the developing residential areas of Greenhithe and Hobsonville. It will provide a new manmade boundary through rural land to the north of Waitakere City, creating new land parcels at the urban edge with exceptional access to the motorway and public transport links.

Check the Transit website for updates on timelines and progress.

Hobsonville Peninsula

There is 170 hectares of land on the Hobsonville Peninsula where the airbase used to operate. A super yacht builder currently occupies part of the northern headland. There are a large number of airforce buildings on the northern part of the site, and staff housing located in the southern area.

Housing and Business on the Old Airbase

In 2005, a change in zoning for the area was proposed in Waitakere's District Plan. Submissions closed in December 2005. The process for further submissions and hearings is now with the Auckland Regional Council.

The new zonings allow for about 20 ha of land to be a specialized marine industry ‘cluster' that can take advantage of a deep water access nearby. The plan also allows for a mix of housing from family type homes to apartments that could house from 8000 to 9000 people. The new marine industries are expected to provide full time jobs for 2000 -3000 people. Existing areas with high quality heritage buildings will be retained to preserve their current character.

For more information visit the Hobsonville Land Company or the Housing NZ website, and also the District Plan changes and information sheets.

When Will the Airbase Be Developed?

The developments on Hobsonville Peninsula in and around the old airbase will take place over several years as more crown land is sold. There are some contaminated sites in the area that must be cleaned up before they can be used. Housing, schools and parks are planned and there is a possibility of a commuter ferry link. Coastal reserves will provide public access to the coast and recreational opportunities.

Hobsonville Peninsula's Future

Waitakere City is seeking planning changes to allow for the urban limits to be extended in the Hobsonville area to help cope with the rapid growth in the city's population. It is expected that just over 400 hectares of land will become available for urban development in the Hobsonville area before 2011. District Plan changes were drafted in 2005 and submissions on the proposed changes closed in December 2005. A process for further submissions and hearings is in the hands of the Auckland Regional Council. As part of the Council's application to extend the urban limits it has notified a plan change to convert rural land across all of the base.

For more information visit the Auckland Regional Council's website.

Hobsonville Corridor and Village

Hobsonville Village

Introduction

The area referred to as the “Hobsonville Corridor”, the area between Hobsonville Road and the new realignment of State Highway 18 to the north of this road, has been identified as an area with the potential for further urban growth. This corridor is close to other urban areas of the city, including Hobsonville Village. The aim is to boost the economy in this area by encouraging industries to relocation to this corridor, and by increasing the shops and associated businesses around the village, creating jobs and servicing the surrounding residential catchment.

It will also stop the need for Waitakere people to travel long distances to and from work and home. This will also benefit people and the environment with fewer long car trips, less pollution and less road congestion.

For more information about urban growth in the North West of Waitakere City, check the Growth Management Strategy.

Future

The Hobsonville Corridor area is part of the Waiarohia catchment that drains into the Upper Waitemata Harbour.

In March 2005, Waitakere City proposed a change to the District Plan to allow 66 hectares of this land to be developed, including provision for business land around the Brighams Creek Road motorway interchange, and a mixed use town centre between Ockelston Road and Sinton Road. The town centre will extend the existing shops on Hobsonville Road.

The council envisages the land will provide employment for about 1500 people with some jobs servicing marine industries expected to develop on and around the old Hobsonville airbase. The rest of the Hobsonville Corridor will be developed between 2011 and 2021 providing houses for about 3000 people and employment for 4000.

The Auckland Regional Council have notified the integrated catchment management plan for the Waiarohia catchment

Environmental Issues

A study is being carried out to look at the potential effects of development on the Upper Waitemata Harbour. North Shore City, Transit NZ and the Auckland Regional Council are partners in the study as they all manage land and waterways running to the harbour. Development increases stormwater runoff into the harbour, carrying sediment and pollution. The Upper Waitemata Harbour is already showing signs of stress from existing and past development. The study will aim to enable development to occur with a minimum impact on the harbour.

Planning Documents

Hobsonville Village, the airbase and the Hobsonville Corridor all fall into the Northern Strategic Growth Area (NORSGA).

There are a number of planning documents and agreements covering this area including:

District Plan changes
The Northern and Western Sectors Agreement (an agreement between Waitakere City Council, North Shore City and Rodney District Councils)
The Upper Waitemata Harbour Study
The Waitakere City Growth Management Strategy
Auckland Regional Council's planning documents