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The planned industrial development north of Warkworth.
A consent to develop 65ha of light industrial land just north of Warkworth is still in the hands of Auckland Council.
If granted, its anticipated the development will become Warkworth’s largest commercial zone and biggest employer.
The bulk of the land is owned by Goatley Holdings, but also includes land owned by Stellan Trust. The owners hope to subdivide the land into 90 commercial and industrial sites.
Goatley partner Miriam Stevenson says they expect the development will attract a wide range of businesses, which could include car yards, landscaping suppliers, building suppliers, major hardware stores, manufacturers, warehouses and vehicle cleaning stations.
She says it will prove attractive to business people who want to escape the city and have their business close to where they live.
Miriam adds that securing the consent, which was applied for in 2018, is an involved process and it is unlikely any earthworks could happen until next year.
A complicating factor was the need to liaise with Auckland Transport and the NZ Transport Agency over the Matakana link road and how it would integrate with the development.
Other factors that have to be considered include traffic movements, geotechnical engineering, ecological impact, design and landscaping.
“Hopefully it all comes together to create a tasteful development for the future,” she says.
Meanwhile, planning consultant Burnette O’Connor says the Goatley development will dovetail well with the Warkworth North development (otherwise known as Stubbs Farm), planned nearby on the opposite side of State Highway 1.
She says industry requires professional services to support it, but only a limited amount of office space is permitted on industrial-zoned land. However, these services could well find a home in the business zones found at Warkworth North.
In March, independent planning commissioners largely approved Private Plan Change 25 (PPC25), which will allow developer Turnstone Capital to proceed with the development at Warkworth North, pending the resolution of outstanding appeals.
The plan change seeks to rezone approximately 99ha of future urban zoned land to a mix of business and residential zones, including a new neighbourhood centre of 3000 square metres.
The commissioners rejected a demand by Auckland Council to include provision for light industrial-zoned land at Warkworth North, as indicated in the Warkworth Structure Plan, finding Council had provided insufficient evidence of the need for such land.
The commissioners found that PPC25 was not legally required to align with the Warkworth Structure Plan.
