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Northern Growth Area PDA

Background

Location
The Northern Growth Area (NGA) is 1,036 hectares of greenfield land identified as a future urban growth area in the north of Porirua City. It falls within the rohe of Ngāti Toa Rangatira, and comprises seven major land holdings.  In 2009 PCC identified it as growth area, with the potential to accommodate up to 6,000 new dwellings over 20 years. It is connected via Kapiti rapid transit rail service to Wellington via Porirua, with access via SH59 to Porirua CBD, and SH1.

Horokiri Stream runs along the east of the NGA. It is mostly zoned Rural, but was rezoned from Rural to ‘Plimmerton Farm Zone’ (PFZ) by a plan change under MfE’s  Streamlined Planning Process (SPP).

What is planned?
The new PFZ incorporates a ‘precinct plan’ that identifies areas of different development potential, key transport routes, and ecological and landscape areas. It anticipates approximately 2,000 dwellings of various types, a retirement village, recreation spaces, walkways and cycleways, a neighbourhood centre, a primary school, and a commercial area with a supermarket.

Kāinga Ora deemed the NGA suitable under the Urban Development Act 2020 for assessment as a Specified Development Project (SDP), as it is a significant opportunity to reshape how greenfield development can advance to deliver Crown, council and mana whenua objectives relating to housing (including affordable housing) delivery, transport mode shift and environmental enhancement and protection.

The NGA has the potential to showcase a new version of cross-agency partnership building on the work undertaken to date on the NGA and other established partnerships.

Key housing and infrastructure investments required are with the seven private landowners and PCC, while some other broader environmental, cultural and urban development investment is the responsibility of the proposed partner organisations, such as Greater Wellington Regional Council, Ministry for Housing and Urban Development, Kāinga  Ora, Waka Kotahi, Health NZ and KiwiRail. The project team will provide governance to support ongoing alignment and coordination.

Purpose

While the project scope is still being developed with elected representatives, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, the Porirua community and other key partners, the high-level purpose is to take a planned and coordinated approach to development within the NGA and vicinity that:

  • Protects the awa and environment supporting and surrounding the NGA
  • Addresses future housing needs for local residents, mana whenua and growth for the wider region;
  • Provides a framework that helps coordinate planning and provision of infrastructure, services and facilities to support the needs of the current neighbouring communities and a future community.