Panmure, a tired residential suburb

With nearby Glen Innes (3 kilometres away) being reshaped as another residential million-dollar suburb, Panmure is poised to be an important business and commercial hub in years ti come.

This is the right time for the project managers, Panuku Development, to consider the development of the air space above the elaborately designed (but hopelessly underused) Panmure Train Station where the buses in the area also have a huge area for stopping.

Read the article on this topic from the East & Bays Courier, published on Wednesday 14th March 2018, below:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/east-bays-courier/101968806/proposal-for-auckland-council-to-cash-in-on-104-million-worth-of-land-to-fund-suburb-makeover

 

Take a look at the photos of Panmure Train Station as it is now:

 

Now take a look at these views of Panmure’s main roads :

 

What is common to all these photos is that the air spaces are not utilised.

What is my point?

Why not read the article below (published on 29th June 2015) before I expand my point further:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/how-can-we-fix-the-auckland-property-market/12095092/Why-building-homes-above-Aucklands-train-stations-makes-economic-sense

Leighton Smith the broadcaster from 1ZB talkback has emphasised the fact that the NZTA (New Zealand Transport Authority) has never wanted Auckland to be rid of traffic jams. The roads are now kept narrower on purpose with the introduction of bus and cycle lanes, and during peak times, the rigorous vigilance over offenders of T2 (2 passengers in cars) and T3 (3 passengers in cars) lanes.

Therefore, it makes real sense for residential apartments, car parking lots and even community areas be built, in the air spaces on top of railway stations, bus terminal pick-up / drop-off points, libraries, shops, public swimming pools and so on.

This will not only make better use of spaces but will definitely reduce traffic jams because people staying above such facilities have easy access to public transportation. For them, there is no need to drive.

Added to this, if we simply convert the freehold titles of such air spaces into ninety-nine year leasehold ones, we have an advantage that future generations of Aucklanders can easily reshape these areas without the heavy expenses of buying up freehold properties for re-development.

There is no need for us to say more.