A substantial block of rural farmland identified for large-scale residential development along with supporting commercial use - providing much-needed housing to a fast-growing nearby township - has been placed on the market for sale.
The 170-hectare farming block at the base of the Firth of Thames just south-east of Auckland is currently zoned rural under the Hauraki District Council plan, but has been identified for future large-scale residential development alongside supporting commercial and industrial building amenities and infrastructure.
Located at 165 and 244 State Highway 25 in Waitakaruru on the main arterial route connecting Auckland and Thames, the land is zoned Rural 1A under the Hauraki District Council plan, and comprises multiple individual titles ranging in size from 2.83-hectares to 36.58-hectares.
The 170-hectare development block at Waitakaruru is now being marketed by sale by tender through Bayleys Hamilton, with the tender process closing on March 9 (unless sold prior).
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Salespeople Josh Smith and David Cashmore said there was the potential, subject to council consenting, for the greater site to be rezoned into a mixture of lifestyle, residential, commercial, light industrial, and parks and reserves land usages.
“Given the property’s location immediately adjacent to the highway linking Auckland to the Coromandel Peninsula, there is scope for approximately 93-hectares of elevated land to be allocated for residential use, while some 3.6-hectares of land straddling the state highway would suit the likes of a commercial service centre,” Smith said.
“Additionally, approximately 12-hectares of flat land is prime for light industrial use, leaving the remainder for lifestyle blocks, as well as parks and reserves.”
Thames-Coromandel District Council’s Thames and Surrounds Spatial Plan has identified a shortage of new build housing in the locale to accommodate the area’s fast-growing population.
“Thames is the economic powerhouse of the Coromandel, but our businesses cannot recruit workers due to a lack of housing. Some 46 percent of our district’s jobs are in Thames, but only 36 percent of the population.
"Well-paying jobs are going unfilled, and employees are commuting from Hamilton, Paeroa, Huntly and surrounding towns,” said the council’s long-term planning report.
Smith said the opportunity to create a substantial residential enclave at Waitakaruru would alleviate residential development pressures in Thames by creating a new township in a lifestyle orientated rural location within a short commuting distance.
Thames is located some 25-kilometres away, while other smaller towns within easy commuting distance from the property include Ngatea, Paeroa, and Kerepehi.
Smith said sections emanating from the developed Waitakaruru local would offer a cost-effective alternative to the now built-up township of Pokeno, for those seeking to live just south of the Bombays but work in South Auckland.
Cashmore said that bearing in mind recent severe flooding events in the North Island, the property’s elevation would be an attractive selling point to home and commercial premises buyers looking to relocate to the Waitakaruru enclave.
“The recent flooding events in the Upper North Island have highlighted the need for building locations situated above flood plains and river channels. The blocks for sale at 165 and 244 State Highway 25 are predominantly elevated and away from the coast,” Cashmore said.
“As a result, the elevated vantage gives eastern views across to the Firth of Thames with the backdrop of the Coromandel Ranges, while to the west is a vista of the rolling farmlands of Mangatarata.
“With global warming now having effects across the world, coastal New Zealand regions are identifying locations where there will be little to no impact from projected sea level rises and extreme flooding. Waitakaruru meets that requirement to defy the elements.”
Pre-covid. the property was identified as an ideal site for an international university - with its idyllic rural location and easy access to the airport and three of New Zealand’s largest cities.
Smith said the property’s vendors would be happy to work with development companies seeking long-term settlement payments while zoning changes and planning applications are processed by the council.
- Article supplied by Bayleys
