Avondale

We aim to create an upgraded town centre, where the local community will have more choice in quality housing, be able to play and relax in new open spaces, and enjoy a community facility designed for many uses.

Avondale is close to Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland’s city centre, with good infrastructure and excellent access to public transport. Over its history as an industrial and market garden suburb, Avondale has evolved into an area rich in culture, with a strong and vibrant community.

We have identified Avondale as an area of huge opportunity, and we’ll lead its regeneration over the next 15 years on behalf of Auckland Council. Mana whenua and the Whau Local Board support the plans for major change.

Working with development partners, Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, and the council family we’ll create new residential communities, public spaces and a purpose-built library and community facility. We’ll also support town centre vitality and local business growth to create a prosperous neighbourhood.

Heart, homes, connections, growth: future fundamentals for Avondale and its people, and the reasons why we’re focusing regeneration on the town centre.

Avondale town centre is in a strategic location with good infrastructure, services and facilities, as well as access to public transport. A train station serves the centre, providing a convenient connection to the city’s rail network.

Here are the four strategic moves that we believe will build on Avondale’s opportunities:

• Enliven the heart of Avondale town centre

We’ll seek opportunities for underused land, supporting the town square upgrade and development of a multi-use community facility.

• Create a high-quality residential neighbourhood

We’ll champion the growth of the neighbourhood through the development of council-owned land and working with other landowners.

• Strengthen connections with the town centre

We’ll work with key stakeholders to improve physical links between the town centre and activity hubs, including the train station and cycleways.

• Foster the growth of local businesses

We’ll be partnering with the Whau Local Board and the Avondale community to support business growth, attract investment and grow retail catchments.

Avondale is seeing substantial high-quality development in the area. This includes:

• 700+ apartments at 6 and 10 Racecourse Parade -design underway with construction expected to start within two years
• 117 apartments at 1817 Great North Road (known as Aroha Apartments including 47 KiwiBuild affordable homes) - due for completion early 2023
• 72 apartments at 24-26 Racecourse Parade (known as Set Apartments including seven affordable houses) - completed
• 102 homes in a Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities development at 96 St Georges Road - completed
• 33 homes at 1 Trent Street / Whakawhiti Loop (including 22 affordable homes) - completed.

Avondale Central is the empty lot that locals refer to as the old 3 Guys supermarket site and is a key site in the regeneration of the town centre.

In June 2022 we signed a sale and development agreement with Marutūāhu-Ockham Group to offer more than 700 new homes to a 1.58ha development block involving:

• 6 Racecourse Parade (Avondale Central/old 3 Guys site)
• 10 Racecourse Parade – having recently bought this from Kāinga Ora, we took both sites to market as a single, major development opportunity.

This development will offer new homes, retail and commercial premises along the Great North Road edge and is adjacent to the future site of Auckland Council’s new town square and library and community hub.

Through this kind of collaboration and strategic land acquisition, we’re able to support residential development in Avondale and deliver outcomes not otherwise possible. This agreement marks a big milestone in our overall programme of change to enable homes, community spaces and better transport connections.

Plans for the new development block propose eight buildings of differing heights, featuring sustainable homes (minimum 6 Homestar rating), outdoor spaces for residents and a public walkway to the town square. Read more here.

A development at 1 Trent Street / Whakawhiti Loop in Avondale provides 33 new homes and creating space for a future shared path.

22 of the homes have been made available to low-income families to buy, using either an affordable shared-ownership or a rent-to-own model. These families would otherwise be locked out of the home ownership market.

Number 1 Trent Street resulted from a partnership with the New Zealand Housing Foundation, a charitable trust. Construction finished in early 2018 and all residents moved into their new homes by the end September 2018.

Just minutes from the Avondale train station and a short walk from the town centre, the new neighbourhood is also close to parks, playing fields and the Whau River.

Number 1 Trent Street will help achieve our goal of delivering medium-to-high-density housing while radically improving the quality of urban living.

The development also creates a new council reserve. This land enabled Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to build a key part of the new Waterview Shared Path (cycleway and walkway), working with the Albert-Eden Local Board and Auckland Council.

Read more about the Trent Street development.

For more information about housing programmes, visit the New Zealand Housing Foundation website.

Apartments on Racecourse Parade

The Set development at 24-26 Racecourse Parade is a great example of well-designed, medium-to-high-density housing that meets the area’s requirements and will trigger further regeneration in Avondale.

A total of 72 apartments have been provided in the three new buildings, which are comprised of two three-level walk-ups and one five-level. Seven of the homes have been made available to low-income families looking to buy their first home.

The site is the former home of Suburbs Rugby Club. We took it to market in June 2015 after due diligence and engagement with the local community and the Whau Local Board.

We partnered with Ockham Residential in July 2015.

Our General Manager for Development, Allan Young, says the development is a great example of supporting the demand for housing through the quality redevelopment of urban locations.

“It attracted strong interest from buyers due to Ockham’s reputation for quality design and built apartments in the city fringe,” he says. “This demonstrates the value of Eke Panuku working together with the local board to enable developers to deliver at pace.

“The outcome will be an increase in residents in the town centre, offering an added vibrancy and the potential to act as the perfect catalyst for further regeneration of the area.”

Completed in late 2021, the 102 public homes at Kāinga Ora’s St Georges Road development provide warm and dry, short-term accommodation for people and families who are in urgent need of housing.

We sold a parcel of land to Kāinga Ora (formerly Housing NZ) to enable this large-scale development which contains new homes of one to three bedrooms, ranging from two-level duplexes to six-level apartments.

10 older state homes are made way for 27 one-bedroom, 59 two-bedroom and 16 three-bedroom apartments across eight buildings of between two and five storeys. The development includes a community room and small park for residents. Read more about the St Georges Road development.

The overall plan for how Avondale will be regenerated over the coming years is an award-winning document called the High-Level Project Plan, and it provides the council mandate for us to make change.

Our Priority Location Director for the west, John Carter, wrote the plan for the area and was recognised by the New Zealand Planning Institute at its 2018 awards ceremony, winning Best Practice Award: District/Strategic Planning and Guidance.

In the High-Level Project Plan, we pinpoint key actions that need to be taken, including making better use of properties that council owns.

The plan also covers:

• the prime sites on which development will take place
• the strategic moves and proposed projects that will unlock development opportunities
• the reasons behind Avondale’s growth potential, and the benefits we anticipate for people who live in, work in, play in or visit the neighbourhood
• the main players and their roles - how we’ll work together and with the Avondale community.

Find out more in the High-Level Project Plan below.

Auckland Council’s Planning Committee approved this plan on 7 November 2017. The plan follows the foundation work of many previous and current council and local board plans. It is enabled by the Auckland Unitary Plan’s drive for a higher-quality and more compact city, and its outcomes support those of the Auckland Plan 2050.

What's happening in Avondale?

Avondale’s town centre will be regenerated to support the creation of high-quality homes, stronger transport connections and local business growth.

What's the timeframe?

The regeneration will take place over the next 15 years.

Why is it taking so long?

Regeneration involves many factors including working with developers, investors and landowners, consulting with the community, securing funding and developing design. We want Avondale to be regenerated in a way that is sustainable and contributes positively to the neighbourhood, which takes time.

How do I give feedback or get involved?

When we have projects out for consultation, there will be information on our website and we will host events where the community can learn more and give feedback – check out our Facebook page for more information. You can also email us at info@ekepanuku.co.nz.

What's the plan for Avondale racecourse?

We think the racecourse provides an excellent opportunity for Avondale. We’re looking to work with the owner, Avondale Jockey Club, to seek positive outcomes and protect the site’s huge potential.

How can we be sure new development will be high-quality?

We’re committed to high-quality design based on Avondale’s unique identity and diversity. We also aim for 6 Homestar rating on all residential developments in which we’re directly involved. This is to ensure homes are built to a high standard with minimal environmental impact. All the relevant planning controls in the Auckland Unitary Plan still apply, and all our development sites have to go through the usual resource consent process.

Why doesn't Auckland Council act as developer?

As a ratepayer-funded organisation, we don’t take on the financial risk of development. Instead, we negotiate good development and urban design outcomes with development partners that benefit Aucklanders and provide value for money.