Old Papatoetoe

New life is being pumped into Old Papatoetoe, with the revitalisation of the town centre now well underway. It is being enlivened and modernised to make it safer and easier to get around and to anchor and boost local business.

Initial regeneration plans for Old Papatoetoe focused on a 2.5-hectare block of Auckland Council-owned land. It’s on the southern side of St George Street, between Tavern Lane and Wallace Road, and includes the shopping mall. It includes plans to build about 80 apartments and terrace houses on the large car park at the back of the mall, next to Tavern Lane.

When council sold the land under the supermarket to enable Foodstuffs to redevelop their store, an agreement was reached to undertake a shared project to create a new civic space.

This new development has been carefully integrated with the redevelopment of the Papatoetoe Mall, which we completed in late 2018. The development includes newly fitted-out retail spaces and a wider variety of shops and food spots. With a doctor’s surgery, physiotherapy services and Papatoetoe City Centre Pharmacy now located in the revamped mall, it serves as a medical and health hub for the people of Papatoetoe.

We’re regenerating Old Papatoetoe town centre to help meet changing needs. But it’s also important we acknowledge and embrace the area’s diverse community, strong heritage and the railway-town character valued by locals.

Here are some ways the town centre redesign will honour the identity of Old Papatoetoe:

• The puriri, pohutukawa and titoki trees that are such a central feature of the plaza have been kept and celebrated. The refreshed mall features more places to sit and relax.
• Colours in the signs and seating within the new mall reflect the Papatoetoe crest. The signs also include the Papatoetoe motto “Kai Mahi Tahi” (let us pull or work together).
• The metalwork in the street furniture and sign platforms are traditional features. They fit with the Old Papatoetoe style adopted by the community.

Old Papatoetoe is a growth area, with many more people expected to move here in the coming years. We have an opportunity to cater for that growth by making better use of Auckland Council land and improving the town centre economy.

Our latest planning document is the Old Papatoetoe Masterplan, which was approved by the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board in March 2022. This plan reflects feedback from the local community which we collected during public consultation in August and September 2021.

Thismasterplan follows an earlier document called the High-Level Project Plan. This plan was approved by Auckland Council’s Planning Committee in July 2017, giving us the green light to make much-needed changes in the area.

In the plan, we pinpoint key actions that need to be taken to achieve this change and outlines the approach to working with local communities. Find out more below:

The Old Papatoetoe Masterplan

This plan was a team effort, with input from all parts of the council whānau. It follows the foundation work of many previous and current council and local board plans. It is enabled by the Auckland Unitary Plan’s drive for a higher-quality and more compact city, and its outcomes support those of the Auckland Plan 2050.

The Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board made it a priority in its Local Board Plan 2017 to work closely with us to revitalise Old Papatoetoe town centre.