Surprise rebuff for housing plans

Plans for two new housing areas in South Auckland have been rejected by the Auckland Regional Council because of concerns about stormwater discharge and one of them being near Ardmore Airport.

The Takanini developments would have provided 1300 homes at $350,000 to $500,000 each on what is now 93ha of farmland.

"It's not what we expected, because the area is scheduled for urban development in the regional growth strategy," said Papakura Mayor Calum Penrose.

But another area, where 86 dwellings are planned off Papakura-Clevedon Rd, has been allowed to be brought within the urban limit by the ARC planning and strategy committee.

Committee chairman Paul Walbran said the two plans were rejected with regret, and the decision was not the preferred result for any party to the Papakura District Council's bid to extend the urban limit.

He said the application did not adequately cover about the management of stormwater discharges on both rejected areas.

One of the areas - adjoining Cosgrave Rd and an existing housing area - was of concern because of its proximity to Ardmore Airport, which had a capacity for 350,000 aircraft movements a year.

The land is 1.5km from the privately owned airport, the users and tenants of which strongly opposed the application. It has also been caught up in a long-running dispute over a noise management plan for the airfield, which is now in mediation.

Mr Walbran said the committee was also concerned about lack of any land zoned for business to balance the increase in residential capacity.

"There are already a lot more people who leave the district for work than work within it. We don't want to hold up growth. But we have to ensure that development is carried out responsibly."

The project manager for two landowner groups, Nigel Hosken, said that after working with both councils since 2003, the Cosgrave and Kirikiri landowners groups were disappointed about further delays to development.

They would appeal and work through problems with the council in the hope that work could start on the site in October next year.

Mr Hosken said Cosgrave landowners presented expert evidence that air movements would be more like 275,000 a year than the 350,000 mentioned by Mr Walbran.

Evidence was also given that the district council has an existing stormwater discharge and a pond was there to handle discharges.

An application for a new area of mostly business land was before the district council.

THE DECISIONS

Takanini housing land rejected:

* 50ha off Walters and Cosgrave Rds, 1.5km from Ardmore Airport.

* 43ha off Papakura-Clevedon Rd, contains historic Kirikiri Redoubt.

Housing land approved:

* 6.58ha off Dominion and Papakura-Clevedon Rds for 86 dwellings.