Measured growth at Snells

Construction of a new health centre, on the corner of Dalton Road, and the expansion of Horizon School to secondary level are two of the major non-residential developments happening on the Mahurangi East peninsula.

Snells Beach Residents & Ratepayers Association chair Mark Dinniss says that while the association hasn’t directly discussed industrial and commercial growth in Snells Beach recently, he believes there are more than 58 businesses operating at Snells Beach.

“I recently canvassed local businesses to raise funds for a CCTV set-up at the entrance to Snells Beach and was surprised at just how many enterprises there were,” Mr Dinniss says.

“I visited 58 and am aware of several which were overlooked, all employing or operated by multiple staff.

“We would certainly like to see further development of retail and service businesses, but the overriding feeling is a desire to maintain the relaxed beachside character of Snells Beach.”

Mr Dinniss says that ‘a must’ going forward is the improvement of road access to Warkworth and beyond.

“The construction of a Sandspit link road joining the Matakana link road, as well as a major redesign and build at Hill Street intersection, are top of our priority list.”

Snells Beach Motors director Vicky Baldwin agrees that congestion at Hill Street is an issue for Snells Beach-based businesses.

“We can lose a lot of time just picking up a part from Warkworth,” she says. “We’d like to see the Sandspit link road built sooner rather than later.”

She believes working in a smaller business community fosters a lot of cooperation.

“We all know one another and support each other. One of the biggest challenges is getting qualified staff. For instance, in our line of work it is very hard to find mechanics.”