We are reshaping the heart of Northcote

20 November 2024

Northcote
News
Urban regeneration

With lots of new homes, Northcote is one of Auckland’s fastest growing suburbs and it’s easy to understand why.

Close to the city-centre, with great schools and nearby beaches, it a multi-cultural melting pot, boasting an array of great Asian eateries and a distinct vibe.

Northcote shopping centre to get some love

With many new residents, the shopping centre at the heart of Northcote, which was state-of-the-art in the 1960’s, now needs some love.

Working with development partners, Kaipātiki Local Board and the community, Eke Panuku is leading the regeneration of the Northcote town centre.

Building on Northcote’s unique character, Northcote Central will be reshaped to create a more thriving heart for the community - a place where locals, culture and businesses can flourish.

In stages, over the next 10 years, there will be a larger supermarket, new shops, offices, eateries, homes, car parking, and a town square.

Other developments are also underway to bring the transformation of Northcote together - making it an even better place to live, work, shop and do business.

New community hub

Starting mid to late 2025, the heritage-listed Northcote Library building will be refurbished and expanded to become a new community hub. The hub will bring together the library, other community services - Northart, Hearts and Minds, Plunket, and the Citizens Advice Bureau. There will also be community rooms for hire - in one modern, multi-purpose, space.

A key feature will be a large, covered verandah that will connect the hub to the green space next door - Puāwai Cadness Reserve, which is also getting a significant makeover. There will more trees and plantings, two new play areas for younger and older children, two garden areas, public toilets, and a large lawn area to make it a more attractive, enjoyable community space.

In early to mid-2025, the library will move into a smaller temporary community hub at 1 Ernie Mays Street, Northcote, to enable construction to begin. From January 2025, Northart, Hearts and Minds, Plunket, and the Citizens Advice Bureau will start to move into this same space, bringing these community services together.

Construction is expected to take 3 years to complete.

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New main street - extension of Ernie Mays Street

Ernie Mays Street is being realigned and extended to Lake Road in stages to create:

a new main street
bus route
key walking and cycling paths
visual connections to the community hub and wonderful new green space of Te Ara Awataha and upgraded Puāwai Cadness Reserve.

Drainage will be further improved to prevent flooding, a significant problem in the past.

To achieve all this and create the space for the regenerated town centre, some older buildings are being removed. Rather than being demolished, they will be taken apart – at a similar cost to demolition – and, wherever possible, material will be recycled and reused. It’s better for the planet and supports Northcote’s aspirations and the council’s vision to be zero-waste by 2040.

In December 2024, Aim High Café – a popular spot in the town centre – is moving a few doors away to 17 Pearn Place, so their current aging building can be taken apart. At the same time, Hearts and Minds and Northart, two community organisations based in the opposite Norman King Building, will shift to the temporary community hub, This will allow the building to be removed in February 2025. Disruption will be kept to a minimum while this work is happening.

Te Ara Awataha – Northcote’s new greenway will be completed

Northcote has a new greenway - Te Ara Awataha. The pathway runs through the Northcote neighbourhood, alongside the Awataha Stream, and links a series of reserves. The stream has been partly brought to the surface from underground pipes to provide many environmental, health, stormwater, and community benefits.

There’s one final town centre section of the greenway to complete. Work will start from mid-2025, making the area more attractive and useable and, without the Norman King Building, it will be a much more visible feature of the town centre.

Once completed, Te Ara Awataha will stretch from the source of the Awataha Stream, in Papa ki Awataha Jessie Tonar Scout Reserve, to Te Kaitaka Greenslade Reserve, which is next to the town centre, and all the way to Kukari pocket park. It will be 1.5km of greenway for everyone to enjoy.