Iwi unveils North Shore waterfront house plan

Three North Shore streets, where 82 traditional-style houses stand on big waterfront sites, will be replaced by 300 new residences under a new plan unveiled by local iwi Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

It has just had part of its 21.3ha of land in the Bayswater/Belmont/Hauraki area declared a special housing area.

Under the Auckland Housing Accord, special fast-track planning will now apply to the block off Hillary Crescent, Lowe St, Rutherford St and Eversleigh Rd.

Many of the houses are rented to personnel from the Royal New Zealand Navy but Ngati Whatua owns the land as part of its Treaty of Waitangi settlement.

However, it has been unable to move for the last few years because the land has been leased back to the Navy until 2018.

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Now, the iwi's commercial arm led by former Valuer General and North Shore City Council chief executive Rob Hutchison has got consent to speedily intensify the site.

"Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Rawa Limited will look to develop 8.4 hectares of its landholdings on Auckland's North Shore," said a statement on Auckland Council's special housing web site.

"The land, commonly known as the Hillary Block, is situated on the northern side of Eversleigh Road, Belmont. There are currently 82 houses on the land and Whai Rawa plans to develop approximately 300 dwellings over a five year period commencing in 2018," the statement says.

The streets are off Eversleigh Rd which starts off Lake Rd opposite Takapuna Grammar and finishes at the waterfront.

In its Unitary Plan submission, Ngati Whatua emphasised the land's advantages and indicated that it would dismiss all objections based on its plans putting pressure on existing roads, schools, parks, retail and other infrastructure.

"The subject sites are generally large and compact in size, located in close proximity to public transport routes and community amenities and typically have good outlook, amenity and views. In particular, the majority of sites have stellar views towards the Waitemata Harbour, Hauraki Gulf and the CBD or Waitakere Ranges," it said.