David Owen says it took him about two years of "hard slog" to do up a piece of land he bought in Te Kauwhata about five years ago.
He worked almost daily to build his home, a spacious and modern villa on a 7500sq m section.
"I wanteda small block to let the kids roam a bit," he said.
He says the proposed development has him worried not only because he could potentially have dozens of neighbours looking into his bathroom but also because of traffic problems, flooding and no clear idea of how long the development's disruption to their daily lives will be.
"We are not against growth but it should be in a way that keeps with what's already here ... I think the council's planners need to take a good look at themselves.
"You expect this is going to happen, but to put in 600 square metre lots next to places with two acres of land is just wrong."
