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Kaipara District Council (KDC) has approved the rezoning of 218.3 hectares of rural land west of Mangawhai village for a development comprising some 600 large-lot residential sites amid wetlands, native bush and walking and bike trails.
Mangawhai Hills is the biggest development to get council’s green light since Mangawhai Central, the 116-hectare property off Molesworth Drive, which has the capacity for up to 1200 residential units.
The consortium is headed by property developer Patrick Fontein. The site is bounded by Tara Road, Cove Road, Old Waipu Road and Moir Street. KDC district planner Paul Waanders told a meeting in Mangawhai last week that 106 ha would be devoted to housing and 112 ha to ecological restoration.
Private plan change 84, seeking to rezone the site from rural zoning to the Mangawhai Hills Development Area, was notified last summer. A hearing in May comprised chair Greg Hill, with Barry Moseley and Cr Gordon Lambeth.
Waanders said the two main areas of concern raised by submitters dealt with wastewater and roading provisions.
The applicants had now received Northland Regional Council resource consent for private wastewater works, and roading engineers had “adjusted the roading plan to alleviate those particular issues”, he said.
Mayor Craig Jepson left the chamber during the agenda item due to a conflict of interest.
Ash Nayyar complained that the process had moved at “rocket speed”, but Mark Vincent, who moved the motion, applauded the applicants for their efforts to engage the community, both those supporting and opposing the project.
The motion was passed by five votes to three, with Ihapera Paniora and Rachael Williams joining Nayyar in voting no.
Mangawhai Hills project website: https://www.mangawhaihills.co.nz/project
