Brash to speak out on agency's growth curbs

National Party leader Don Brash will tap into deep discontent at a public meeting in Warkworth tonight against Transit NZ restrictions on developments in the town.

Transit has not been invited to the meeting, at which Dr Brash will head a panel of four senior National politicians - the others being transport spokesman Maurice Williamson, resource management spokesman Nick Smith and local MP Lockwood Smith - to raise roading issues.

Organiser Peter Thompson said the meeting would focus on calls for a long-sought bypass of the town by State Highway 1, and for interim arrangements to allow a $90 million retail and retirement village development blocked by Transit on traffic demand grounds.

Many other communities throughout New Zealand had similar concerns, given powers he claimed Transit was wrongly invoking to prevent developments near constrained highways.

"It is a national issue," said Mr Thompson, who is deputy chairman of the Warkworth Community Liaison Group.

"Transit can't be allowed to shut the country down because the roads are in crisis."

The meeting follows claims to a Transit hearings panel last week that the highways agency was "quarantining" the country's second-fastest growing area - Rodney District - against further development.

On Friday, Rodney Mayor John Law, said a property developer had "walked away" from a potential $770 million subdivision north of Silverdale because of a lack of motorway access ramps.

He said another private investor was waiting to part-fund a $150 million toll road to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula to take the traffic pressure off Silverdale, but that source needed an assurance of Government subsidies and further motorway ramps.

Mr Law said he was "ecstatic" that National had re-confirmed a commitment it made during last year's election campaign to build the road and an associated crossing of the Weiti River within 10 years of taking office.

But he complained to the Transit panel that no new significant state highway projects were due to start in Rodney within the agency's 10-year planning horizon.

Transit's concentration of roading funds within the centre of the Auckland region, such as on the western bypass, ignored big development pressures in the outer districts and would lead to "very skewed" growth.

Discontent with Transit is not confined to outlying areas. Waitakere City Council was strongly critical at the hearing of a proposed three-year delay to starting a 5km motorway bypass of Hobsonville.

Waitakere city development committee chair Penny Hulse said its economic and social future hinged on creating new growth centres at Westgate and Hobsonville, projects which would be hindered by the delay.

But Transit regional manager Richard Hancy said the motorway link was in an "excellent position" to be brought forward again, as the Government had undertaken to make up a $685 million shortfall in the agency's indicative 10-year budget.