My Account
The proposed development of a large piece of undulating rural land between Hatfields Beach and Waiwera (known as Chin Hill) is being considered by the Auckland Unitary Plan panel.
The 183ha Chin Hill Site is immediately north of Hatfields Beach and abuts SH1 to the west, Weranui Road in the north and Hatfields Beach Recreation Reserve (aka Hatfields Domain) in the south.
Mature native forest, regenerating native scrubland and indigenous wetlands cover approximately 70ha of the land – 60ha of this is deemed to be a Significant Ecological Area. The balance of the site is in pasture.
Auckland green geckos (a species that is nationally at risk) have been found in scrub across the site and experts say they are likely to be present in most sites of mature or regenerating native forest at Chin Hill.
In addition, most of the land falls within a large area designated by Auckland Council as Outstanding Natural Landscape.
Among the proposals for Chin Hill put forward by its owner, Kauri Orewa Ltd, is the development of around 58 rural lifestyle blocks and some retirement facilities in clusters, with associated infrastructure, coupled with areas of native bush and a walkway and cycleway that would create a new off road link between Orewa and Waiwera.
The notified proposed Auckland Unitary Plan zoned the land Rural Production and Rural Coastal but the owners say it is uneconomic to farm the land and that its “inevitable future use” is as rural living at a greater or lesser density.
The company is seeking zoning that includes areas of Countryside Living to enable the proposed development to occur.
In his evidence to the Unitary Plan panel in Orewa recently, consultant recreation and tourism planner Rob Greenaway, supporting Chin Hill’s application, said he identified a route which will allow runners, walkers and cyclists to travel 7km off-road from Hatfields Beach Reserve to Weranui Road, with a return loop in one area of the Chin Hill Site.
“I consider this a strategic development option, and although Weranui Road has some limitations for recreational use, these may be developed in the future, creating an excellent recreational link between Orewa and Waiwera,” Mr Greenaway said. “There is very poor recreation connection between Orewa and Waiwera, relying on the confined and busy Hibiscus Coast Highway – with no footpaths beyond the Orewa urban area – or low tide access around the coast on the route marked as part of the Te Araroa Trail.”
His proposal is for a shared intermediate grade walking, running and cycling path which Kauri Orewa has said it would build to the required standard.
Among the questions for the hearings panel to mull over is the potential environmental effects of changing the zoning to allow the site to be developed. Kauri Orewa’s submission says the ecological values of the Chin Hill land are currently under threat from plant and animal pests and stock grazing and that the development proposed could actually enhance the environment because of retention of native bush and replanting certain areas.
However, Shona Myers’ evidence for Auckland Council says that the native planting and other enhancements proposed by the site’s owner would be of limited environmental value in the long term because they would be divided by housing and infrastructure such as roads.
Owners of adjoining sites are also seeking zoning changes to allow development to occur.
