Auckland Council proposes to move Kumeū due to flood risk, community leaders onboard

A proposal to shift Kumeū’s town centre over a number of years was revealed to the community by the Auckland Council on Monday night.

The Kumeū and Huapai area has a repeated history of flooding – and while infrastructure proposals were also put forward, community leaders are advocating for the shift.

Ward councillor Greg Sayer told Morning Report the northwest Auckland township was very concerned.

“There was about 200 people at the meeting last night, very concerned property owners both in terms of their land values and their properties flooding more and more as the years go past as we get heavier rain fall.

The Auckland council was sent away to investigate how the flooding could be prevented.

At the meeting on Monday night they presented their options – drilling a tunnel, building a dam and widening the river. All options, Sayer said, were not viable solutions.

“What they reported – probably to the disappointment to the crowd there last night – was that none of the solutions reported last night would drop the flood level by over a metre, which is required to actually stop that flooding.”

He said it would effect mainly the people in the town centre “so we are talking a few hundred properties.”

“The council also presented what they could do, that included putting in an early warning system so people have, you know, about four hours warning so they can get out of their houses and deal with flooding in advance.

“They also talked about creating stronger rules to prevent consenting houses to be built in the flood zone.

“They also talked about a plan to move the town centre from that low lying flood area, which historically is just where the town centre has built up over many many years, to higher ground on the otherside of the railway station, a bit further north.

He said insurance was also a significant issue.

“People are under extreme financial stress, not only by seeing their property values drop but also the inability to get insurance.

“This won’t be an overnight fix – to move a whole towncentre is going to take decades.”

He said he believed the council would begin by not allowing new businesses to build or open in the current town centre, instead they would find land elsewhere.

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