Wasp Hangar gets a new lease on life

With the last-remaining vacant sites in the Airfields Precinct in Hobsonville Point now up for sale, we are looking for the right development partner to help bring more homes to this fast-growing and desirable community.

A key part of this significant opportunity is finding an innovative way to integrate the Wasp Hangar into the development of the sites. An iconic feature of the area, the hangar housed the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Wasp helicopter fleet between the 1950s and 1990s.

With the retention of the hangar as a key point of difference, outcomes have been agreed for the development of the sites relating to design quality, landscaping, street front activation, connections and built form. This will help ensure the high-quality urban fabric is kept front and centre.

Hobsonville Point continues to flourish as an exciting, bustling neighbourhood, with great amenities easily accessible within walking distance. The future will see more developments like this that empower Aucklanders to live low-carbon lifestyles, with Hobsonville Point residents using 25% less electricity and 32% less water than the Auckland average.

The neighbourhood represents what greater density can mean for Tāmaki Makaurau – well-designed, sustainable, much-loved neighbourhoods where amenities are within easy reach and residents are connected to green, open space.

In independent research, 96% of Hobsonville Point residents indicated that it’s a “great place to live”, with the sense of community standing out as a key feature.

The sites are also well-served by the nearby Catalina Bay - a thriving waterfront commercial, retail and hospitality hub with a farmers market, eateries, bars, offices, and multiple new apartment buildings under construction. The very popular daily ferry service to downtown Auckland, which has recently added more services to accommodate the growth in demand, also operates from Catalina Bay.

In addition to the redevelopment of the vacant sites, the site at the corner where Hobsonville Point Road becomes Hudson Bay Road, was recently purchased by the Ministry of Education as a new school site to support the growing demand for schooling in west Auckland.

With 67% of school kids in the area walking or cycling to school already, which is significantly higher than the national average, this site is ideally located to continue this trend of more sustainable travel options.

The site will be marketed for sale by Colliers, on behalf of Eke Panuku. If you’re interested in becoming a development partner for this site, get in touch with Jason Seymour (Jason.Seymour@colliers.com) or Josh Coburn (josh.coburn@colliers.com).