Opposition to proposed Flaxmere housing development

About 15.5ha of land between Kirkwood Rd and Boston Cres has been earmarked for potential housing development. Photo / File

More than 100 people have signed a petition that will be presented to the Hastings District Council this week, opposing a proposed co-housing development on 15.5ha of bare land between Boston Cres and Kirkwood Rd in Flaxmere.

The initial concept for the Waingakau village project was presented to the council last year, after a working group comprising representatives from council, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga (TToH), U-Turn Trust and Te Aranga Marae was tasked to come up with a solution to the shortage of quality, affordable housing in the district.

It proposed developing 76 cohouses (a community of clustered housing with shared neighbourhood facilities) and 44 conventional houses.

The design also included a healthy cafe and co-operative community corner shop, a small business incubator, a wellbeing centre and carparking, with a focus on providing green spaces and a sense of shared community, although houseowners lived independently.

On January 9 this year, a petition was sent to the council signed by 118 people, asking that the land be made available to the general public for purchase and development, complying with covenants that applied to existing sections on Kirkwood Rd that had already been built on.

This included minimum dwelling size, integrated garages and internal boundary fencing.

It also called for the "prompt release for the sale of the aforementioned sections to the wider community, thereby allowing a continuation of the current standard of development as seen in Kirkwood Rd".

In an accompanying letter, residents of a new development on Kirkwood Rd said they felt they had been misled by the council in regards to the proposed co-housing development.

"We primarily believe we were misled, or at minimum should have been forewarned of the proposed co-housing development being planned by the Hastings District Council and Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga.

"We request that any future development undertaken by the Hastings District Council on the land adjacent to Kirkwood Rd adhere to the covenants that we, as current residents, were led to believe was to apply to both Kirkwood Rd and the adjacent land.

"It was this understanding that was a major factor in our decision to purchase land in Kirkwood Rd," the letter said.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst acknowledged that these people had invested in properties that they were proud of and said the council was very interested to hear their views.

She said the proposal was still very much in the concept stage and the council was yet to receive a full business plan from Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga.

"The first thing we want to do though is ensure everybody is included in the decision making. We are yet to consider all the options - whether the lots be sold as one parcel, or several parcels or a village is created."

While the council awaited a full business plan, she said she and other available councillors would meet with the petitioners tomorrow morning to discuss their concerns.

"We know there is a great need for affordable, quality housing in the Hastings district and we will be looking at how we can get this land developed, and once we see the business plan from Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, how that may be part of the mix."