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A further 130 titles in the Warkworth Ridge subdivision are expected to be issued by the end of this month, as builders start to replace earthmovers on the almost 55-hectare site.
Warkworth Ridge, on the northern side of Warkworth Showgrounds, is the most advanced of the three large subdivisions currently underway on the fringes of Warkworth. The others are the Neighbourhood North development (former Stubbs Farm) and Waimanawa in the Valerie Close area. Collectively, when finished, the three developments will boost Warkworth’s population by more than 8000.
Templeton Group is developing Warkworth Ridge and says it has invested more than $200 million in the project to date.
Company founder Nigel McKenna says all primary infrastructure has been built and certified including water, gas, electricity, fibre and wastewater. Completion is expected by the end of this year.
A number of building companies are currently going through the building consent process and work on the first homes is due to start next month. A total of 188 titles have already been issued and 450 of the 650 lots are sold.
On a drive over the site with Mahurangi Matters, McKenna’s enthusiasm for the development is evident.
“It’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this point,” he said. “It’s a quality development that I feel enormously proud of.”
The development includes around 10 kilometres of walkways and the revegetation of a kilometre of streams. Sections range in size from 400sqm to 1000sqm, and start at $495,000.
McKenna says 182 building companies and builders have purchased land and design guidelines will ensure buildings are of a high standard, have an attractive street appeal and reflect their rural setting.
This has also been extended to the landscaping, which has been undertaken entirely by the developer to ensure a whole-of-development approach.
The design guidelines state that, “the design focus has centred around greenery, spaciousness, provincial living, and capitalising on solar orientation and attractive views”.
Streets lend themselves to walking and cycling, rather than speed, and a convenience store and café will form part of a community hub.
After contending with the horrendous weather visited on the region last year, McKenna says this year’s summer has provided near-perfect conditions and the bulk of earthworks are due to finish this season.
“When it’s dry, it makes everything so much simpler and faster. Over one eight day period recently, we shifted 32,000 cubic metres of earth. That’s a lot of dirt!”
The two major contractors at this stage have been Warkworth-based Bob Hicks Earthmoving, which has about 60 to 70 pieces of kit on site, and Dempsey Wood, which is doing the civil works.
Wastewater will be tankered from the site until the new wastewater treatment plant at Snells Beach opens around the middle of next year.
McKenna says it’s an additional cost for the developer, but one that had been foreseen and planned for.
Watercare says temporary holding tanks will be used on site and these will be operated and maintained by Watercare at the developer’s cost. This includes transporting the wastewater to a treatment plant for safe treatment.
The son of a builder, McKenna has been in the development business for more than 30 years. He was involved in the redevelopment of Auckland Viaduct Harbour, was the development manager on the DFS Custom House Galleria and the 40-storey Metropolis building in Auckland, to name just a few. But when it comes to subdivisions, he says he has never lost his enthusiasm for creating communities.
Although the construction of the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway was the catalyst for giving Warkworth Ridge the green light, McKenna says the town, with its proximity to the beaches, Kawau Island and regional parks, as well as Auckland city, has a lot to recommend it.
“I’ve never doubted Warkworth’s potential. I’m up here two or three times a week and I think this development will have many benefits for the town, providing opportunities to grow the local economy, local schools and employment.”
And that’s not all talk … McKenna has bought himself a piece of land on the hill overlooking the development where he has plans to build his own home … “one of these days”.
