Recession woes slow plan for big city centre

Plans for one of the country's newest town centres are likely to be scaled back because of financial pressures of the economic crisis.

Manukau City Council planners have been developing a blueprint for Flat Bush since 1997. Turning the 10,000-population town into a thriving centre populated by 40,000 people by 2020 is one of New Zealand's most ambitious planning projects.

Eight other big multi-million dollar Auckland City developments have stalled, including the $250 million Soho Sq project in Ponsonby and the $600 million Rhubarb Lane development in central Auckland.

The Flat Bush plan is far larger in scale - but those behind the plan are hoping its long-term nature means it can ride out the current bumps caused by the troubled economy.

The town - billed by Manukau City Council as "the country's largest and most comprehensively planned" - is expected to compare in size with Nelson by 2020.

But planners have been forced to delay some of the town centre's main facilities, including a swimming pool, recreation centre and a library.

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Posted: 12 Jan 2009

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