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Local developer J G Land has revised its plans that would have removed 192sqm of protected native bush to create eight residential lots in Arran Point Parade, next to the Ōrewa River.
The bush on the 1.32ha site is protected by Auckland Council as a Significant Ecological Area (SEA) because of its diversity, rarity and provision of bird migration pathways and buffers. The land is zoned Residential – Single House but was at one stage being considered for a public reserve by Council.
When J G Land’s plans were made public by Hibiscus Matters last year, local residents and Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird took action and a petition with more than 1000 signatures was circulated.
Following this, J G Land’s resource consent application was put on hold while it looked at options to avoid any impact on the SEA.
The company’s new application, dated June 27, is proposing to create five residential lots – four of which will have two storey dwellings on them. The revised layout has been designed to retain all the vegetation in the SEA and prevent the need for any work within the dripline of protected bush.
The developer is also proposing to protect 10,029sqm of vegetation in perpetuity via a bush covenant. As the SEA currently protects 7150sqm of vegetation within the site, the proposed covenant will protect an additional 2879sqm of bush.
The covenant will require on-going protection and maintenance of the vegetation on the site by future lot owners.
Some of the unprotected vegetation will be removed under the proposal, but this will be reinstated. A shell midden may be relocated to an area within the SEA – something the revised application says iwi are supportive of.
Council staff are currently assessing the revised application.
Backstories November 22, December 20, 2021; Jan 24, 2022
