Councilor says funds from asset sale should be reinvested in South Auckland

By Steve Forbes, Local Democracy Reporter

Auckland Councilor Ephesus Collins says money from city hall asset sales and redevelopment work in South Auckland should be closed and reinvested in the area.

His comments follow this week’s news that Panuku and Auckland Transport (AT) are seeking approval to develop airspace over parking lots and parking and transportation facilities around the city, including at least four sites in the south. from Auckland. Organizations controlled by the council said the funds will be reinvested in regional public transportation projects.

A previous evaluation suggested that the projects could generate up to a billion dollars in development.

But Collins said it is more important than ever that South Auckland get its fair share of the profits.

The Panuku development agency has allocated less than $ 7 million for South Auckland projects in 2020/2021 after its budget was cut by $ 73 million in the Auckland Council’s emergency budget.

“My greatest wish is that the profits remain in areas where the surplus funds are generated,” Collins said. “But I understand that there are concessions with which I am still reaching an agreement.”

He said spending the money regionally does not address some of the underlying legacy issues in areas like South Auckland due to a lack of investment.

“So he’s balancing historic investment with regional profit. But I’m still not satisfied that the equity issue has been resolved.”

The two CCOs are looking at the redevelopment of nine sites in the Auckland region, including the Manurewa Station Park and Travel on Station Rd, the Selwyn Road parking lot in Manurewa, the Homai Station parking lot, and located travel at Wiri Dalgety Drive and Papakura Train Station Parking and Travel.

Under the plan, Panuku would develop the airspace above them into a mixed-use residential or commercial property, while allowing AT to continue to operate the parking lots, parking and transportation facilities. The two CCOs are now seeking approval from the Finance and Performance Committee on Thursday to continue.

Collins, who was appointed last year as the liaison between Panuku and the Auckland Council, said he does not oppose the joint proposal.

“I contend that housing developed near and around key transportation connections and public services will have positive social, economic and climatic impacts for the community.”

But the Manukau district councilor said it’s a question of fairness.

“I welcome this plan from AT and Panuku as long as they have a keen eye on ensuring that a good percentage of the housing provided is accessible to low to middle income people. It is vital that we build strong and diverse communities, not just ones for those in a certain degree of payment. “

Panuku spokeswoman Joanna Glasswell said that typically when the agency sells a site, the revenue generated goes into a “pot” and then allocates the money to projects that will achieve the best value for Auckland residents.

“This approach takes into consideration neighborhoods where we may not have a lot of properties to sell, but we can see a lot of potential. Land has different values ​​in different parts of the city and the strategy also creates a balance around this.

“It also means that we can undertake jobs like building new plazas and improving streets where they are needed most,” Glasswell said. “We prioritize spending money based on where it will generate the best value for Aucklandites.”

She said this reflects the council’s focus on fees, where it determines where it will spend money based on need and not based on how much money a particular suburb generates in fees.

But Glasswell said that unlike other Panuku projects, the joint proposal with AT is different because both parties agreed that the money generated will be reinvested in regional transportation projects.