Rocketing land prices hit council's $20m plan to buy Hobsonville Point park

Auckland Council has become a victim of the massive surge in land prices and can’t afford to buy an 11ha park at Hobsonville Point, residents believe.

The former Waitakere City Council set aside $20 million in 2009 to buy Bomb Point Park on the government-owned former Air Force land that is being developed into housing by Housing New Zealand subsidiary Hobsonville Land Company. But the price is now more likely to be about $110 million, says resident Grant Dixon.

This is far beyond the council’s budget and makes the park purchase unlikely, so Mr Dixon has started a petition asking Housing Minister Nick Smith to gift the land to the council for the park. Mr Nixon tells NBR Radio it would make sense as the council has huge infrastructure challenges and needs its money for that.

The petition has lose to 400 signatures.

Bomb Point is the main green space in the massive housing initiative, which currently has around 750 homes, with 5000 planned by 2025 (up from the originally planned 2500).

The 11ha of land had been earmarked as a future park seven years ago after the Waitakere council set aside money for it in the 2018 financial year, Mr Dixon says.

“Since then repeated council and Hobsonville Land Company meetings have failed to settle this transfer and the two parties remain far apart.”

Mr Dixon says the promised park has been a key factor in thousands of people deciding to buy into Hobsonville. “As the number of houses to be built has doubled, the park will be even more important in keeping a fair ‘homes to reserve’ ratio.

Part of Bomb Point.

“If we don’t do something now, pieces of the park will disappear bit by bit. The Bomb Point land is owned by New Zealanders and the transfer of land from one public entity to another should not be the problem it has become," he says.

He fears the Hobsonville Point Land Company will sell pieces of the park to bolster its returns to the government. “Because of protracted and failed negotiations Aucklanders are in danger of losing part of or all of a valuable recreational asset.

The petition will be sent to Mr Smith next week. 

Late last year, an Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) plan to turn Hobsonville Point's 20-hectare Marine Industry Area into a film industry campus fell apart. The land is now being developed for housing, apartments and retail.

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