Meeanee to get 10 new homes

RACHEL PINDER
Plans to build 10 houses at Meeanee have been given the go-ahead, despite residents' fears the subdivision will create increased traffic and sewerage problems.
Susan Rogerson and her husband Stephen live in nearby Parsons Road, and believe the subdivision will change Meeanee from a sleepy rural community to a bustling Napier suburb.
But the application from Alem Developments Ltd has been given the green light by Napier City Council after a resource consent hearing earlier this month.
Councillors have spent the past three weeks deliberating on the conditions to be enforced for the subdivision at 30 Gavin Black Street.
The conditions include a hefty $121,250 which Alem Developments must pay to the council, comprising a rural contribution of $9454 per lot, stormwater at $1587 per lot, and offsite roading at $1084 per lot.
Other conditions state the new residential lots should be connected to a portable water supply system, supplying 800 litres per day per lot, with one lot provided with a fire-fighting water supply and fire hydrant.
Each allotment must be developed in a way that will prevent ponding of stormwater, and all existing buildings are to be connected to this stormwater drainage system.
The plans must include confirmation that the designed onsite effluent disposal is a permitted activity, or provide a copy of the design and construction details for the approved onsite disposal system.
Vehicle access is to be given to all the new lots in accordance with the proposed district plan.
There will also be building restrictions, including a minimum finished floor level which has to be 500mm above the finished ground level of the lot, or 300mm above the 50-year flood level approved by Napier City Council.
Mrs Rogerson is one of 14 people who lodged objections at the hearing. But a further 11 submissions of support were also considered.
"We've lived here for over 30 years. The access from Gavin Black Street onto Meeanee Road has poor visibility, and widening the roads would spoil the rural village atmosphere of Meeanee," Mrs Rogerson said.
"Septic tanks, no matter how clean, generate copious quantities of extra water on an already wet area. Meeanee is classed as a ponding area for Napier city, and in heavy rain Meeanee is supposed to hold as much water as possible until the pumps start.
"I have watched many times in horror as the drain outside my house has risen to overflowing because the pumps cannot cope. The proposed houses would create considerable run-off in heavy rain, which will fill the drains even more.
"And as the rest of Meeanee is low-lying we will have to cope with yet more water," she said.
Objections were also received from the Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre Inc, and the Ministry of Education on behalf of Meeanee School, although the school's Board of Trustees approved of it.
But support was also heard from residents and businesses, including nearby Meeanee Kennels and the Bill Ward Family Trust, whose orchard lies on the boundary of the proposed subdivision.
Currently the existing site has one house, a garage and storage sheds, and is planted with leased apple trees, covering 1.62ha.
Alem Developments made the application because they claim orcharding on a commercial basis is proving difficult because viable economic returns are no longer possible, and there is a problem with crop spray drifting to the playground of Meeanee School.
"It is intended that the newly created lots for residential living will allow a better use of the land, meet a demand for rural settlement lifestyle living, and each be of a sufficient size to ensure the rural residential character is not compromised," their application said.
Alem Developments agreed the proposed development would bring an increase in residential traffic. But they said it would also cut down the horticultural traffic, such as workers, deliveries and pick-ups during peak hours.
The Meeanee area does not have a sewage disposal service. While the existing site is served by a septic tank, it is proposed that any house built on the 10 lots will get its water supply from the existing 100mm bore.
Alem Developments proposes to access the subdivision site from Gavin Black Street, which also serves houses and horticultural buildings, Meeanee Kennels, Meeanee Primary School and the Meeanee Community Sports Centre.
Nearby Meeanee Speedway Club said it would only support the application if Napier City Council could ensure that no noise complaints about the speedway's operation would be accepted from the prospective new house owners. Otherwise, president Paul Ludeman said the club would oppose the plans.