Sign In / Register
A proposed new Ōrewa subdivision of some 1250 homes is among the government’s list of 149 projects it wants fast-tracked under pending legislation.
The plan, proposed by developer Vineway, is to subdivide a 109-hectare site and construct a master-planned residential development to be called Delmore, including parks, riverside walkways and supporting infrastructure.
Vineway Limited co-director Andrew Fawcett is also director of Shildon Limited, which won approval for its West Hoe Heights development, Strathmill – 467 homes on a 24.3ha site – under the Covid-era fast-track process.
Under the Fast Track Approvals Bill, which is expected to be passed into law before year’s end, the 149 listed projects will go through an expedited process, sidestepping resource consent.
The government calls the initiative a vital part of its plan to rebuild the economy and – in the words of Regional Development Minister Shane Jones – “cut through the red and green tape that has made it more and more difficult to build the projects New Zealand needs”.
It says developers will be able to apply to the Environmental Protection Authority to have an expert panel assess their projects and apply relevant conditions. The plan is for the expert panels to include members with technical expertise relevant to a project, expertise in environmental matters, and the Treaty of Waitangi.
The recommendation to parliament’s environment committee is that expert panels should have the ability to turn down projects.
The Fast Track Approvals Bill is expected to go before Parliament for its second reading in November and be passed into law before the end of the year.
