New transport interchange and tertiary campus for Manukau city centre

 

A new transport interchange and tertiary campus are the first stages in a long term plan to lift Manukau city centre to a new level, Manukau Mayor Len Brown says.

 

Manukau City Council and Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) have announced plans for a city centre tertiary campus closely linked with the new train and bus station. They will be built on a section of Hayman Park on the corner of Davies Ave and Wiri Station Rd that has been ear-marked for development for a number of years.

Work should begin soon on the train and bus station, which is due to open in late 2010. Stage one of the planned tertiary campus is likely to be open to its first students at the start of the 2012 academic year.

MIT will open the campus with an initial 1500 full time equivalent students, with numbers expected to increase during the next decade. The initial building will have a floor area of approximately 10,000 square metres.

Manukau Mayor Len Brown says the campus and station plan has a number of benefits for the city.

“It will have major spin-offs by increasing the educational achievements of our residents and by unlocking the economic potential of the city centre.

“The council has been pushing for many years to get a tertiary campus in the city centre that offers a full range of courses. Education needs to be available close to home for Manukau residents so they have the best opportunities possible.

“This is the first stage in a long term plan to lift the city centre to a new level. The campus and station will attract a lot more people to the city centre and help kickstart further investment.

“This should help create a better city centre – one that is easy to get around attractive, well used, safe and lively both day and night,” Mr Brown says.

“MIT is uniquely placed because of its history of success in partnering with universities to be the driver of this exciting development,” says Manukau Institute of Technology Acting Chief Executive, Peter Quigg.

“The facility will encourage both new and returning students to fully participate in tertiary and university education.”

Manukau City Council Portfolio Leader David Collings says the Manukau train station and bus interchange is expected to be one of the busiest in the country.

“Approximately 600,000 passengers a year will use the train station, a similar level to Newmarket, only Britomart will be busier. About 1.2 million people are expected to use the bus station each year.

“We want people to be able to have the choice of using public transport for getting around the city. Having a train and bus station only minutes away from where they study will make it easy for students to use public transport,” Cr Colling says.

The transport interchange and tertiary campus projects are part of a draft masterplan the council has developed to create a better city centre – one that is easy to get around and attracts people and investment to the area.

The long term aim is to create opportunities for investment, economic development, better public spaces and to make the environment an attractive part of the city centre.

The council owns approximately 21.5 hectares, about 78 per cent, of land in Manukau’s central business district. This means the council holds the key to unlocking its potential by working with development partners on projects to improve the city centre. The draft masterplan sets out key design principles to guide development.

About the tertiary campus

MIT is planning to establish a tertiary campus in Manukau city centre that offers a wide range of tertiary education programmes including business and commerce.

As it develops, other university and tertiary education providers will offer programmes and degrees at the campus.

MIT will start the first semester of 2012 with an initial 1500 full time equivalent students, with numbers expected to increase during the next decade. The initial building will have a floor area of approximately 10,000 square metres

Students coming to the campus and the services needed to support it will help improve the city centre economically and socially.

The tertiary campus will require accommodation and car parking options as it develops. This and the anticipated commercial demand for office space is a good sign for the re-generation of the city centre.


About Manukau city centre train and bus station

The first stage of the project will see ONTRACK digging a deep trench on a section of Hayman Park close to the corner of Davies Ave and Wiri Station Rd. The 11 metre deep trench is for the rail tracks and platform where trains will arrive and leave.

Passengers will come up escalators from the train station into the interchange on the corner of Putney Way and Davies Ave. Close to this will be a new tertiary campus and on Davies Ave there will be capacity for about eight bus bays. The Manukau station will be the main hub for most of the bus services in the south of the Auckland region.

The rail link and transport interchange is a joint project between ONTRACK, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) and Manukau City Council. It is the first new rail route to be built in Auckland since the eastern line in 1930.

The 1.8km section of new track will link Davies Ave in Manukau City with the Southern railway line at Wiri. The track will run under Lambie Drive and Plunket Ave and across Hayman Park. The new track will run alongside the new SH20 Manukau motorway extension and will be mostly double-tracked to achieve convenient and frequent services.

The project is part of a $600m upgrade of Auckland's rail network which, when completed, will allow more frequent and reliable passenger services and improve pedestrian safety around the rail network.