A housing development the size of Auckland's CBD is opening in the region's south, but many locals are worried about the impact it will have.

Paerata Rise, a 300-hectare urban development situated between Karaka and Pukekohe, opened to the public on December 1.

It is owned by the Wesley College Trust Board and Grafton Downs Limited. The development of 4500 homes will be complete by 2021.

While the project is being lauded as a way to reduce pressure from central Auckland, many locals are concerned over traffic and public transport issues associated with the population increase.

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Pukekohe resident Jasmine Tunzelmann said her commute to work on the southern motorway was already "painful".

NATALIE POLLEY / STUFF Paerata Rise was opened to the public on Saturday December 1.

"I've been sitting in traffic and heard mention of Paerata Rise on the radio and all I can think is 'great, so rather than taking 40 minutes to get to Manukau it's going to take even longer'."

The new town will be built less than 10 minutes from Pukekohe and the area is expected to grow from 38,000 residents to 58,000 residents in the next ten years.

Geoff Smith is the former chairman off the now defunct Franklin Economic Development Agency and was included in early discussions about Paerata.

PHIL WALTER/GETTY IMAGES The southern motorway is often congested during peak travel hours.

"The concept to develop Paerata came about before Franklin became part of the super city, when the then-Auckland Regional Council was looking for areas to build more houses," he said.

"The fact is Franklin will soon go from being one of the least populated wards to the most populated in a short time period."

Originally the concept for Paerata had been "live, work, play", Smith said.

"It was meant to be a mix of businesses and homes so people could either bicycle or walk to work and develop a sense of community, where people got to spend more time with their families. We have an issue with housing developments in New Zealand because of our approach of people first, infrastructure second.

"With a growing population, existing farms will have to produce some 60 percent more to feed everyone by 2050 and more houses are needed to house that population – so all around the world farming hectares are reducing and houses are being built on prime land."

Currently Smith travels 48km from his home in Waiuku to work. If he used public transport, he would need to take three trains and a bus, he said.

supplied Geoff Smith was involved in initial conversations about developments in Paerata.

"It takes me around an hour and a half, sometimes two, God willing there's no accidents. That is at least three hours a day, 15 hours a week and at least 750 hours a year I spend in traffic.

"As thousands more houses are built, that commute is going to increase substantially and the only major infrastructure to deal with it is a short stretch of motorway widening between Karaka and Takanini."

Grafton Downs Limited executive Chris Johnston said the development was the "anchor" of a "big future urban area", which would measure 523 hectares in total.

NATALIE POLLEY / STUFF One of the show homes at Paerata Rise.

Boutique stores had also been planned for the site and a smaller set of shops would be located near the Glenbrook roundabout, which the New Zealand Transport Agency would begin construction on in 2019, Johnston said.

"There will be a cafe, shops, schools and a transport hub, [and] a rail station is planned so residents can commute into the city."

In regards to traffic worries, Johnston said he was pushing Auckland Transport to confirm a Paerata Rise rail station so residents could use that method to travel.

"Trains is our preferred method of travel. There are also political pressures to continue with the planned Mill Rd/Pukekohe expressway which has been shelved by the current government."

The first residents would be living in Paerata Rise by mid-2019, by the end of that year it was estimated 30 households would be lived in, he said.