The future use of Huia Street Reserve

Council is yet to make a formal decision about the sale or development of this land.

Artist's impression of what the reserve could look like with medium-density housing.

We're proposing to change the land use at this city reserve to enable homes to be built. The first step in this process is now complete.

Photo: An artist's impression of what the land could look like with medium-density homes.  

Amended legislation enables Council to sell surplus land

The Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Amendment Act became law on 5 September 2022.

The Act enables Council to sell the land in future. This is the first step to allow any potential development of the land for housing. It doesn't determine the type of development and/or ownership of the land.

Next steps

The Council is yet to make a formal decision about sale or development of the site. Officers will engage further with Council on this matter alongside a broader piece of work regarding Council’s role in property development.

If the site is developed for housing a District Plan change will be required to rezone part of the site to residential. This will involve public consultation and a detailed assessment of environmental effects.

Background

In November 2020, Council approved a preferred option for the future use of Huia Street Reserve: to enable the development of Huia Street Reserve for housing, including the potential for a mixed-use housing development supporting recreational and small-scale commercial activity.

The Council directed the Chief Executive to engage with the relevant government agencies and the office of the Palmerston North Member of Parliament to initiate amendments to the Palmerston North Reserves Empowering Act 1966 to enable this change to occur.

The decision followed a formal consultation process. You can read our original proposal here, along with the feedback we received from the public:

Huia Street Reserve: Statement of Proposal(PDF, 3MB)

Huia Street Reserve: Submissions(PDF, 4MB)

Location

Huia Street Reserve, Corner Fitzherbert Avenue and Park Road, West End 4410  View Map

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