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An Auckland Council proposal to manage Warkworth’s growth in two phases, firstly in the north followed by the south, has been opposed by Warkworth representatives.
Council released a draft proposal in July which would see 290 hectares of land to the north of Warkworth ready for development by 2022, while 420 hectares of land in the south would have to wait until at least 2027.
Rodney Local Board and the Warkworth Area Business Association have both raised concerns about the phasing and believe the town should grow from the centre, rather than splitting growth between north and south.
The Board wants Warkworth to grow ‘naturally’ from its hub. Board deputy chair Steven Garner believes there has been greater demand for development to the south of Warkworth.
“If a developer is prepared to pay to develop infrastructure for the north of Warkworth, then that is fine, but I don’t follow the reasoning in delaying development in the south for another decade,” Steven says. “The growth to the north is relatively new and is centred around the completion of the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway. But historically, there have been numerous applications from developers for growth in the south, which indicates the area will have pressure to develop sooner. Infrastructure, particularly wastewater and water, is also more accessible in the south and west of Warkworth, compared with the north.”
The Board has requested that land between Matakana and Sandspit Roads be included in the development strategy, with a link road between the two roads.
The land was included in the Future Urban zone in earlier Council plans, but was excluded in the most recent proposal. The Board wants transport projects like the Hill Street intersection upgrade and the Matakana Link Road completed now. But it agreed with the timeframes set out in the strategy, with growth occurring between 2022 and 2031.
At the Board’s business meeting last month, member John McLean said the development of Wainui should be brought forward and be prioritised ahead of the growth of Warkworth.
“People want to live in Dairy Flat more than Warkworth. People to want to live closer to Auckland,” he said.
However, the Board did not support his views.
The Warkworth Area Business Association has voiced opposition to the north/south development proposal.
“We disagreed that Warkworth north should be flagged for future growth and be development-ready before Warkworth south,” association co-chair Dean Sampson says.
“We feel the two should be planned concurrently so that development is cohesive and connected across the whole town, not disjointed and ad hoc.”
Council Auckland Plan strategy and research general manager Jacques Victor says the completion of the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway in 2022 will mean northern Warkworth will experience development pressure ahead of the south.
“A key advantage of enabling the development of Warkworth north earlier is the opportunity this area provides for business and employment growth,” Mr Victor says.
“In the short term, existing urban capacity will allow for an ordered pattern of development. In the longer term, the staging of development in the future urban areas will enable this essentially radial (concentric) pattern of development to continue. Structure planning will provide a greater level of detail including staging. This will ensure development occurs in a way that is contiguous with the existing urban area.”
