A large development site for sale is being hailed as one of the most prominent land offerings available in a growth hotspot tipped as South Auckland’s future “epicentre”.

The more than 5.5-hectare freehold landholding in Pukekohe East sits in the heart of an area between Drury and Pokeno which is seeing massive public and private sector investment to support population growth that is greatly outpacing the wider region.

The land for sale offers some 370 metres of frontage to the Southern Motorway, providing huge exposure to up to 100,000 passing vehicles daily, and has its own motorway entry and exit.

It is being marketed as a rare large-scale opportunity for buyers seeking capital gains driven by soaring demand for land or to establish a business operation in a commanding position in one of the region’s fastest-growing locations.

There is potential to lease out an existing restaurant, two apartments, a fruit and vegetable shop and cropping land – providing a new owner with valuable holding income while they plan and seek consents for any new development.

The freehold land and buildings at 314-318 Beaver Road, Pukekohe, Auckland, are being offered for sale through Shane Snijder, Beterly Pan and Tony Chaudhary of Bayleys Real Estate.

The site will go under the hammer at an auction on Tuesday 5 March, unless it is sold prior.

The property for sale consists of approximately 5.59 hectares of land in three freehold titles, along with buildings with a combined floor area of some 874 square metres.

Snijder said Rural Production zoning under Auckland’s Unitary Plan provided for a range of farming and rural business type uses, including industries and commercial activities that support rural production. Primary produce manufacturing and sales facilities and the likes of greenhouses are listed as permitted activities.

Such activities would benefit from the site’s position within Auckland’s largest horticultural production area, famed for its fertile soils and cultivation of crops such as onions, potatoes, carrots, leafy greens and tomatoes.

“Moving forward, we consider the highest and best use of the land would be achieved through an alternative zoning which, if successfully obtained from council, would help to unlock a variety of possible development options given the scale of the property,” said Snijder.

The land for sale sits a few hundred metres north of the Auckland-Waikato boundary.

Pan said this strategic position was one of the site’s most attractive attributes.

“In real estate terms, the area between Drury and Pokeno is on track to become South Auckland’s epicentre. Projects such as Drury South, a world-class 360-hectare mixed-use project including large-scale industrial and residential development, along with Kiwi Income Property Trust’s planned shopping centre, Fisher & Paykel’s purchase of over 100 hectares for a new business campus, and numerous large residential subdivisions, speak volumes about South Auckland’s status as the place to be,” said Pan.

Chaudhary said businesses locating here stood to benefit from $2.4 billion of government investment into roads and rail to support the area’s growth, including major roading improvements and over $370 million to extend the electrified rail network to Pukekohe along with significant investment in station upgrades.

“While Auckland’s expansion is a major driver of the local economy, improving transport links with Hamilton and Tauranga mean this location also stands to gain from economic growth in the ‘Golden Triangle’ connecting Auckland with these two centres.

“Already home to half of New Zealand’s population and gross domestic product, this area is projected by Statistics New Zealand to keep growing to 3.2 million people, or 55 percent of the population, by 2043,” Chaudhary said.

Click here for more information on the listing.