Whangarei District Council wants to provide room for light industry at Springs Flat so it can free up land in Kamo for eventual development of a shopping centre.
The council's environment committee this week approved public notification next Tuesday of proposed plan changes to rezone about 22ha of mainly farmland at
Springs Flat for business use and create a 4.7ha recreation area alongside it.
It is the first step to put in place the Kamo Structure Plan, which the council adopted in February.
The land involved at Springs Flat has access off Great North Rd and Pipiwai Rd.
The proposal calls for rezoning to change 21.5ha from countryside to business 2, 4.7ha from countryside to open space, and 0.517ha from business 3 to business 2.
Most of the countryside land is in pasture with a few industrial activities that have been established through resource consents. The 0.5ha business 3 area contains light industrial activities appropriate for integration in the proposed business 2 zone.
Farmer Allan Waldron and his wife Wendy own 15ha of the property lined up for rezoning. Other landowners involved are D.F. and R. Martin (0.1012ha), G.H. and N. Cates (2.176ha), AgSpares (1.9238ha) and ABC Child Care (1ha).
The 4.7ha proposed for open space is owned by the council.
A report by council senior policy planner Simon Muttonhori told the environment committee there was a critical shortage of business-zoned land in Kamo.
"All business-zoned land at Kamo shopping centre has been taken up and more businesses are encroaching on to residential and rural land," he said.
"This plan change is intended to provide an opportunity for possible relocation of light industrial activities from Kamo shopping centre to Springs Flat.
"This will free up land at the shopping centre for redevelopment, especially for retail and other convenience shops."
A council background report said Kamo's shopping centre lacked a big grocery store commensurate with a neighbourhood of its size.
Community consultation had found Kamo people wanted the village centre redeveloped as a focal point for north Whangarei, with emphasis on retail and services businesses.
The proposed plan change will be open to public submissions.
