Subdivision adjacent to industrial area turned down

Plans to develop a 72-lot subdivision on land south-west of Woodcocks Road in Warkworth have been turned down due to its proximity to the neighbouring industrial area.

A panel of independent commissioners led by Richard Blakey said the development off Mason Heights would also constitute “premature urbanisation” of the land that had the potential to cause serious traffic and transport issues in the area.

Woodcocks Property, a subsidiary of Kervus Property Group, had wanted to carry out the subdivision in six stages, with lots ranging in size from 403 square metres up to 1080 square metres, plus one light industrial/commercial lot of more than 6177 square metres.

Kervus managing director Greg Barclay said he and his family had long-standing links with Warkworth and he wanted to create affordable and desirable housing for first-home or last-home buyers in the area. However, there were considerable objections to the plans, mainly from companies with businesses in the light industrial-zoned area that adjoins the Mason Heights land and Rodney Local Board.

ITSS Engineering owner Hugh Harvey said the application should be refused because of the “reverse sensitivity” effects it would have on existing industrial activities – that is, people moving into the new subdivision would complain about noise and disturbance from industries already operating in the area, and prevent any expansion or extension to such activity. He said ITSS had already expanded its own activities since the application had first been put forward.

Bevan Morrison of Gumfield Properties also voiced concerns with respect to reverse sensitivity and the potential impact it would have on light industrial operations from his site, which had taken some time to find.

He said there was already a shortage of land for light industry in Warkworth and an excess of residential development, and added that the applicant’s noise modelling was inadequate for what future residents of the new subdivision would actually experience.

Rodney Local Board deputy chair Louise Johnston said this was another example of out-of-sequence development for Future Urban-zoned land without necessary infrastructure, and Auckland Council did not have the funding to provide this, public transport and walking and cycling connections.

“It is important that greenfield development is correctly sequenced, and development does not occur in a haphazard way,” she said.

Johnston also raised possible issues with future flooding and stormwater run-off, and echoed concerns over the development’s position right next to an industrial estate.

In their refusal to grant consent, the hearing commissioners said the development would result in “actual and potential adverse reverse sensitivity effects on activities within the adjacent light industrial-zoned land that will likely be more than minor” and said it was contrary to the objectives and policies of the Future Urban zone.

“It represents premature urbanisation of the land in a manner that has the potential to compromise the efficient and effective operation of the local and wider transport network, as well as giving rise to aforementioned reverse sensitivity effects,” Blakey said in the panel decision.