Purewa Cemetery Driveway Rezoned for Housing

21 April 2016

Update 19 August 2016: The Unitary Plan was passed by Councillors on August 19 and shows Purewa Driveway (between St Johns Rd and Parsons Rd) rezoned for housing (mixed housing suburban, in yellow), as per the image below:

Unitary Plan image

More than 9,400 submissions were made to the Auckland Council on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) in 2013. Among these was a submission made by the Purewa Cemetery Trust Board (PCTB) to rezone their driveway from Public Open Space to Mixed Housing Urban. The submission states that the driveway is no longer required for cemetery purposes and that rezoning would allow for residential development.

In March 2016, locals became aware of the submission. As a residents’ association, we heard about the issue via Neighbourly. It was added to the agenda of our April 5 meeting. A large number of people turned out to share their concerns. The key objections were the loss of cultural heritage, the increase of cemetery traffic along Dorchester, Fancourt and Blackett routes, and the loss of green space.

When asked about the plans, Clifton Thompson, general manager of Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium pointed out that private land should never have been zoned public in the original PAUP. He also said that there were no immediate plans to sell the land, and that any sale would likely coincide with the cemetery reaching capacity in around 20 years.

Letters have been written on behalf of residents to the PCTB and to the Auckland Council. The cultural heritage aspects of the driveway are also being explored. If you have special knowledge or interest in the driveway, or would simply like to receive updates specific to this development, please email .