A new 1250-home urban village development called Delmore is set to rise near Orewa if it wins approval from a fast-track consenting expert panel. Photo / Supplied
A new 1250-home urban village development called Delmore is set to rise near Orewa if it wins approval from a fast-track consenting expert panel. Photo / Supplied
The Delmore development near Ōrewa plans to build 1250 homes in a claimed $250 million boost to the economy.
The housing estate is among first three projects into the next stage of the Government’s new fast-track consenting regime.
The project has links to Andrew Fawcet, a director with a track record of successful housing developments, but also involvement in some company collapses.
A huge tract of pastoral land north of Auckland - more than half the size of Hobsonville Pt - appears set to be fast-tracked into the city’s next major urban village.
Delmore claims it will build 1250 homes in the development near Ōrewa giving a $250 millionboost to the economy.
A $100m Port of Auckland wharf extension in the city centre and a new housing and retirement development in Nelson are the other projects green-lit for panel hearings.
The Delmore project is part of the larger Myland Partners development group that is building housing estates in Auckland’s south, west and north.
The project is also linked to controversial businessman, Andrew Fawcet, who was in charge of companies that collapsed in 2014 and 2018 owing $11m.
Delmore claims its 109ha development will help local families by selling homes at an average of $850,000 - or $400,000 less than what it says is the typical price along the Hibiscus Coast.
“The project will provide high-quality, stand-alone homes and terrace housing, within a price bracket that is affordable for average income earners and first home buyers,” it said in its fast-track application.
The development represents a milestone for the Government’s contentious Fast-track Approvals Bill that passed in Parliament last December.
The 1250 home Delmore development near Orewa is among the first three projects to get to the next stage of the government's fast-track consenting regime whereby they will go before an expert panel. Photo / Supplied
The bill is designed to enable regionally or nationally significant projects to gain streamlined planning approval.
However, the new law also drew criticism from environmental groups, which believed it ran roughshod over protections.
Government ministers earlier selected 149 projects eligible for the scheme, including 58 housing or land developments, 22 renewable energy projects, and 11 mining projects.
As one of the first three projects to make it through to the expert panel stage, Delmore’s fast-track application said it expects to deliver 1250 homes in five stages over five years.
That will include three-and-five bedroom standalone and townhouse dwellings, coming in a range of 40 styles.
The development will be master-planned with parks and a network of pedestrian walkways.
Delmore said it will retain 50ha of natural land, made up of streams, wetlands and native trees that residents can stroll through.
The Delmore development is rising close to the 450-plus Strathmill project (pictured) that is being built by the same larger development group Myland Partners. Photo / Supplied
A two-lane, north-south road with bike and pedestrian paths will also be built as part of the project, it said.
The development will stretch along Upper Ōrewa Rd, close to State Highway 1.
It will be close to shops and services in Ōrewa and potential jobs in the Silverdale industrial park.
Other housing projects are also springing up in nearby areas.
The Milldale residential project is rising to Delmore’s south, while the Ara Hills development is planned to its north.
To its east just across the motorway, the same development group building Delmore, Myland Partners, is also building the 450-plus Strathmill housing project.
The Strathmill project gained fast-track approval under the previous scheme set up by the last government to help boost economic activity in response to the Covid pandemic.
However, neighbours criticised that project in early 2023 when they learned its plans had doubled in size from 201 homes to 450-plus.
They said in 2023 the project was too big for the nearby area, worrying it would overload the roads with traffic and put too much demand on water infrastructure.
Fawcet is listed as a director of the company behind the Strathmill project and co-director of the Delmore development.
He is also a former director of the larger group behind the projects.
The deputy registrar’s report said Fawcet had, at one point, been in charge of 25 companies that would later collapse owing $11m to creditors.
Fawcet’s mismanagement had played a role in some of the companies’ collapse, the report said.
The deputy registrar also criticised Fawcet in his capacity as a director of a company that continued to make payments on a $280,000 Aston Martin just months before failing to pay its tax bill.
However, the deputy registrar’s report also noted Fawcet had since taken steps to learn from his mistakes.
The 1250 home Delmore development is promising a network of bike paths and walkways that will also pass by streams and wetlands. Photo / Supplied
Fawcet previously told the Herald in 2023 his companies failed because of the Global Financial Crisis.
He said at the time he was motivated to deliver quality housing to Aucklanders.
“What is important news is the significant benefits of the Strathmill development in Ōrewa rather than something historic that happened over 10 years ago as an unfortunate consequence of the GFC,” he said.
Speaking about the Delmore project this week, he told the fast-track his team was “excited about the positive support received from the ministers”.
The fast-track legislation played an “important role in helping developers get things done”, with Delmore helping to meet market demand and boosting the wider economy.
“The effects of this project will ripple through various sectors creating jobs, facilitating community growth and positively impacting the lives of many,” Fawcet said.
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