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Wellsford is the latest township to have the handbrake put on development to allow water and wastewater infrastructure to catch up to growth.
Watercare has announced that there will be no new connections to the water and wastewater network in Wellsford until upgrades to both the water treatment plant and the wastewater treatment plant are finished. This is not expected to happen until at least 2028.
Watercare chief strategy and planning officer Priyan Perera says the pause on development is to ensure Watercare can meet the community’s water demand, and protect the environment by meeting the conditions of its wastewater discharge consent.
“We will be honouring our commitments made through approved resource consents,” Perera says. “This means anyone who had an approved resource consent and/or building consent as of September 10 will still be able to connect when they’re ready, provided all relevant consent conditions have been met.
“We’re working closely with developers to set clear expectations about our infrastructure programme and anticipated time frames.”
Wellsford currently has a population of around 2000, but several large developments are on the drawing board, including Wellsford North, a massive private plan change covering more than 72 hectares, which could double the town’s size.
“There are several small infill developments currently underway, and already one private plan change [Wellsford North] has been lodged. Wellsford’s existing water and wastewater treatment plants have reached the end of their operational lives and are at their design capacities,” Perera says.
Watercare is about to start work on a major upgrade of the town’s wastewater treatment plant, behind the golf course off Rustybrook Road, as well as a new water treatment plant.
The water treatment project will cost around $23 million and the first stage will serve a population of 6500.
When the plant is up and running, the Wellsford and Te Hana communities will be supplied from an underground aquifer, instead of the Hōteo River, making the town’s water supply much more resilient to drought.
The water treatment plant already has a water take consent and is expected to be completed in late 2028.
“We’re in the feasibility and planning stage for the new plant, which we expect to build on Wayby Valley Road,” Perera says.
Construction of the new wastewater treatment plant is expected to start before Christmas and is will cost just over $38 million. The first stage will serve a population of 3200.
Watercare anticipates the project will take two years and the plant will be operating around the end of 2026.
Perera says it will feature sophisticated treatment technology, which will improve the quality of the treated wastewater discharged and allow Watercare to meet new and more stringent resource consent requirements.
Auckland Council is not able to grant a building consent until it has confirmation that a water and wastewater connection is available to either reticulated services or on-site alternatives. Council may still grant resource consents, but with conditions that no connection to the water supply or wastewater network can be made until both the new water treatment plant and upgraded wastewater treatment plant are operational.
“We urge anyone seeking to develop in Wellsford or Te Hana to come and talk to us, if you haven’t already done so.”
Info: connections@water.co.nz
