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A “green belt” of rural paddocks on the approach into Snells Beach could be replaced by 25 houses if a plan to subdivide the Mahurangi East Road property is approved.
Remuera-based Silver Hill Limited has applied to Auckland Council to subdivide the 1.6 hectare one-house property at 124 Mahurangi East Road, which is on the right-hand side of the road going down the hill into Snells, immediately north of Muncaster Road, and bordered to the south by Lett Road.
Resource consent is needed as the proposal is non-complying with the land’s current zoning in the Auckland Unitary Plan, which is Residential – Large Lot. This means that any subdivision should be limited to four 4000 square metre building plots, rather than the 25 single house plots of 400 to 720 square metres being applied for.
The land has housing developments to the north-east, across Mahurangi East Road, and south-east of Muncaster Road, but is surrounded by land zoned Rural Countryside Living to the west and conservation land to the north.
The plans are being opposed by a group of neighbours and Snells Beach residents, who don’t want to see the tree-lined paddocks and a rustic red tin shed replaced by another new housing development.
A public Facebook group has been set up – Say NO to High Density (Non-complying) Subdivision: 124 Mahurangi East Rd – and a letter of objection signed by 25 neighbours has been submitted. Posters by the group have expressed concerns over the loss of an attractive green “buffer” on the edge of Snells Beach, the potential increase in already high traffic volumes and the fact that another attempt to overturn Unitary Plan zoning is being made.
The applicants have submitted a 334-page Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) as part of their resource consent application, in which they maintain that the development will be within the urban area of Snells Beach, rather than on the periphery, and can easily be connected to reticulated water.
“The subject site and proposed development are effectively the northern bookend to Snells Beach and will reflect a similar character to the development on the opposite side of Mahurangi East Road,” the AEE says. “The proposed subdivision is of a character similar to the character of the immediately surrounding environment.”
They also maintain that the site’s designation as Residential – Large Lot instead of Residential – Single House when the Unitary Plan was published in 2016 may only have been because Lett Road was unsealed. The application proposes upgrading Lett Road to a six-metre wide sealed road with a footpath, and a traffic consultant’s report maintains that the anticipated number of additional vehicle trips is low and would be “barely noticeable” in the surrounding area.
Auckland Council said last week that the application was being assessed by a planner and would be publicly notified “as soon as we are satisfied the details supplied are sufficient for members of the public to fully understand and comment on the proposal”.
