Site works signal start of Pukekohe development

The Belmont subdivision at Pukekohe will eventually have 700 houses, some of which will be in the "affordable" bracket.

Diggers are being moved on to one of Auckland's biggest new special housing areas, ready for what one financier predicts will be the city's busiest new housing earthworks season.

James Kellow, a director at NZ Mortgages & Securities, said site works started this week at Belmont, a new 700-residence subdivision in Pukekohe where his business has funded work on 300 sites.

Gary Gordon, of subdivision developer Legacy Partners, said sections would be ready for housing developments from May next year and buyers of the first sections would then get their titles.

The site is to Pukekohe's west, bordered by Pollock Rd, McNally Rd, Maxwell Rd, Adams Rd and Kauri Rd.

Kellow said warmer ground meant site works officially start tomorrow across the country.

"The earthworks season traditionally starts on October 1 and I predict this forthcoming season will be among the busiest for Auckland in terms of actual sections created. This is helped by the fact that developers are now starting to roll out many of the 97 special housing areas that have been approved around the Auckland region over the past two years."

At Belmont, 10 per cent of the residences must be sold as "affordable".

The special housing areas are earmarked to help combat Auckland's housing crisis, identified for fast-track development and located in selected urban and rural areas which are all within the Rural Urban Boundary.