A 400-section subdivision is being planned for Whangarei _ the biggest development in the city limits for decades.
No resource consent application has yet been lodged with the Whangarei District Council for the subdivision, but surveyors were this week at the site working on the plans.
The Northern Advocate understands a 94ha
site, in two titles, at the end of Raumanga Heights Dr - recently bought by an Auckland-based company - is being surveyed for the subdivision.
Neighbours of the proposed development were unaware of the exact plans for the land when contacted by the Advocate.
Ray Blackburn, who lives two doors away from the site, at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, said the first he knew something was afoot on the site was when a ``bulldozer'' turned up on Saturday and started clearing a path through the bush on the property.
"This digger turned up and started to fell trees across the walking track and that was the first we knew anything was planned," Mr Blackburn said.
He expected a courtesy visit from the developer before a resource consent application for the subdivision was lodged.
The Murdoch family once farmed the area and has been gradually selling off the land for housing over the past 40 years, starting with refinery housing in the 1960s. The land is elevated with harbour views and mostly covered in a mix of regenerating bush and trees such as pines and gums.
The block adjoins Raumanga Heights Dr and extends south toward State Highway 1 behind the Bunnings megastore site.
Zoning for the land is Living 1 (normal residential allotments) and Living 3 (residential lots no smaller than 2000sq m).
A Whangarei developer is understood to have bought the land through a trading company, Northland Corporate Trustees. Auckland accountant Stuart Robertson is listed as the sole shareholder of the company but he could not be reached for comment.
An engineer has carried out an examination of the landscape and subsoil on the site to check its suitability for development and is expected to report to the owners next month.
A final decision on whether to proceed with the subdivision is expected after that.
A Whangarei District Council staff member has ascertained this week that minor earthworks being carried out on an existing track through the bush are in accordance with the district plan.
