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Warkworth’s ability to cater for business growth may be alleviated in the short-term with the sale of a 52-hectare light industry business park, on the north side of Warkworth.
The consented park, between Goatley Road and Te Honohono Ki Tai Road, owned by the Stevenson family, went on the market in August last year after years of council machinations.
Bayleys in the North confirmed last week that the park is under contract, and buyers and tenants are being invited to submit expressions of interest to purchase or lease titles.
Agent Chris Blair says the initial response from prospective occupiers has been positive.
The 93-lot subdivision includes lots ranging from 1400sqm to one hectare, which Bayleys says has been master-planned to support warehousing, office, bulk retail and micro-industry premises.
But One Mahurangi says in general, the area is being hamstrung by the lack of land for business expansion, particularly large sites over one hectare.
Co-chair Bevan Morrison says while he welcomes progress on Goatley Road, the land available there is not flat, which adds to overall development costs.
“This is on top of the huge costs imposed by Auckland Council, Auckland Transport (AT) and Watercare,” he says.
“If we want businesses to set up and expand here in Warkworth, so future residents can work locally, we need council to stop strangling growth by poor forward planning. Council needs to be a lot more receptive to input from local developers.
“The last thing we want is to become a commuter town – we want new residents to become part of our community.”
Morrison, who represents family landholdings in Morrison Drive and the future Morrison Heritage Orchard development, says the roading plans notified last year by Auckland Transport aren’t helping the situation.
He cites the inner western link road, which cuts through the only live-zoned industrial land available for immediate development in Warkworth, as an example.
“Effectively, the Notice of Requirement means the land can’t be developed until the link road is in place, but AT says that might not happen for the next 20 to 30 years.”
He adds that AT is relying on outdated information collated prior to the opening of the new motorway.
The Indicative Business Case (August 2019) had 27,000 vehicle movements per day. Although the detailed business case from October last year reduced this to 9400, the old SH1 is recording just 1000 vehicles a day.
Morrison says the question needs to be raised as to where these additional cars forecast for the link road are physically coming from to justify the need for the road at all, and the disruption to the live-zoned industrial land that is in dire short supply.
