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The 141ha block of land labelled as ‘North East Warkworth’ could accommodate up to 3500 people, but Council says another bridge across the Mahurangi River would be required to service the area.
The location of future urban development in Warkworth dominated the Unitary Plan hearings on Mahurangi last month.
The Independent Hearings Panel was hearing submissions on the location of the Rural Urban Boundary (RUB), which will define the barrier between rural and future development land.
A 141ha block of land to the north east of Warkworth was a major point of contention. The land, between Matakana Road and Sandspit Road, was originally included in Council’s proposed RUB in 2013, but it has been removed from the latest plans, sparking a reaction from landowners in the area who want to develop the space.
Council staff have recommended the land remains mixed rural and countryside living zones due to concerns about traffic congestion, environmental degradation, unstable ground and an oversupply of urban land. Auckland Transport (AT) modelling found a second bridge would be required over the Mahurangi River if the land was developed, due to traffic jams at the Hill Street intersection. Council planner David Hookway said Warkworth could grow to 27,900 people if the land was urbanised – well above the 20,000 population set out in the proposed Unitary Plan.
But, at the hearings in Orewa, a number of landowners called on the hearings panel to open the land to subdivision, saying it is a logical location for growth in Warkworth and traffic and environmental issues can be managed.
Speaking on behalf of a group of Sandspit Road residents, Greg Stevenson said there was huge demand for the land.
“We have Chinese investors knocking down our door to try and buy these blocks of land at ridiculous prices,” Mr Stevenson said.
If the rural zoning remained it would open the door to developers driving private plan changes to develop the land, rather than a community driven process.
“The location of the RUB will determine whether we take the money from developers who want to muscle a plan change through the environment court, or whether we stay and work with the community to produce a good result.”
The company Better Living Landscapes represented a number of landowners in the area. Barrister Kitt Littlejohn said Council’s concerns could be mitigated if the land was developed at a low density.
“The area could be developed for 900 dwellings without any further infrastructure required,” Mr Littlejohn said. “This is low hanging fruit and Council acknowledges this land could be developed within the next decade.”
In December, Council released a plan outlining the timing of infrastructure upgrades to enable development of land in the proposed RUB, which included live-zoning the contested land to the north-east of Warkworth between 2022 and 2026.
There had also been no submission opposing developing in the north-east of Warkworth, Mr Littlejohn said.
Traffic engineer David Mitchell also presented on behalf of the group. Mr Mitchell had investigated building a bridge across the Mahurangi River in 2008 while working for Rodney District Council, and said a new bridge across the Mahurangi River wasn’t required if the area was restricted to 850 dwellings. This could be determined when the Warkworth structure plan was updated.
The area could even grow to accommodate 1100 houses if improvements to Sandspit Road and the Hill Street intersection were completed.
Planner and company director Karen Pegrume said the environmental risks of developing north-east Warkworth were no greater than in any other part of town.
“Wherever you are in Warkworth, you are connected with the river and tributary streams. That’s the end point for any runoff.”
The environmental impact of building a further bridge, if required, could also be managed.
The hearings panel will make recommendations to Council on the rural urban boundary by July 22.
