Southern Links includes 21km of integrated state highway and urban arterial routes which will link SH1 from Kahikatea Drive in Hamilton to Tamahere and the Waikato Expressway in the southeast, and SH3 from Hamilton Airport to central and east Hamilton.
These routes include 11km of roads within the Peacocke area which will become the building blocks for urban future development in the southern part of Hamilton.
The Peacocke Growth Cell is about 720 hectares which was incorporated into the city boundary in 1989.
The area has been identified as suitable for urban growth, supporting an estimated population of 20,000.
Getting the designations in place and included in the various council plans will protect the preferred network so that it can be built when required in the future.
City infrastructure general manager Chris Allen says people have been informed on this project at key steps along the way. This included gathering their feedback at a series of open days between November 2011 and May last year. This approach will continue through the Resource Management Act process which is now getting under way.
Neither the transport agency nor the Hamilton City Council has funding set aside for the design or construction of the network in their respective 10-year plans. Timing for construction will depend on funding availability and priorities.
Now the Notices of Requirement and the consent applications have been lodged, the formal RMA process has begun.
After assessing whether any further information is required, and asking for it if necessary, they will publicly notify the applications.
People can make submissions to the appropriate council in relation to the relevant part of the Southern Links network.
Directly affected property owners will be formally notified by the councils as to when they can make a submission on the Notices of Requirement and consent applications.
A hearing before commissioners (appointed by the receiving councils) will be held, probably next year.