KEY POINTS:
Auckland City's newest suburb of Stonefields had its main link road opened yesterday, allowing the public a closer view of the massive re-development of the old Mt Wellington quarry basin.
Mayor Dick Hubbard said before cutting a ribbon across the four-lane 1km road, which has a planted median
strip between opposing traffic, that the "town within a city" being built on the 110ha site was the way of the future for sustainable urban design.
Although some community leaders fear the new suburb will generate unsustainable traffic volumes, Mr Hubbard praised developer Landco's efforts in designing it as "a walkable neighbourhood."
He said a primary school awaiting Government approval for up to 600 students would be built as close as possible to the residential area it was to serve, and it would be easy to walk to shops within the suburb.
Mr Hubbard also noted a ban by the developers on the use of zinc or copper in roofs for the 2900 homes to be built there, to protect the nearby Waiatarua wetland, as well as plans to pipe stormwater to the houses for flushing lavatories and watering gardens.
The new road has been built on the northeastern side of the site as an extension of College Rd, and ends up just south of the Auckland netball centre, to which it will provide a second entry point.
It will eventually be extended to a new north-south arterial road which Auckland City intends building from Mt Wellington Highway as part of a $1.3 billion mega-transport joint venture with Manukau City.
Although Landco paid an undisclosed sum to build the new road and a link between it and Morrin Rd, the routes have been incorporated into Auckland's public roading network.
Landco general manager Andrew Stringer said that although it was Auckland's first major new roading development in 10 years, apart from motorway links, his company had thought hard about encouraging alternative transport.
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority had promised to make new bus links available to the Glen Innes and Panmure railway stations from about April, when residents would start moving into the first batch of about 150 homes being built.
Mr Stringer pointed to a mix of on- and off-road cycleways throughout the suburb, including a 3m shared pedestrian-bike path beside the road, and said the Ministry of Education was excited about using the school's locality to change transport habits.
"They see it as an opportunity to turn the clock back and get kids back to walking to school rather than being dropped off by their parents."