developmentfeature24 Mahurangimatters March 16, 2016

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Rodney Local Board member Greg Sayers discusses the options for providing transport infrastructure in Warkworth with Mahurangi residents.

Residents have say on Warkworth growing painsPeople in Warkworth had the opportunity to tell transport planners what is needed to ease the town’s traffic woes on March 1.Planning staff from Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and NZTA were on hand to discuss transport options based on growth predictions that the town will increase five-fold in the next 30 years.People appeared to relish the opportunity to get direct information on infrastructure planning in the area.Council staff said they had a positive response from the public, but many people were frustrated at the long-term vision of the planning. The resounding response was “this looks great, but we want it now”, as one planner put it. Council planner David Taylor said Warkworth didn’t appear to have the opposition to growth and development that was at the forefront in other areas of Auckland.“People seem to be accepting of growth, but they are more concerned about getting the infrastructure,” Mr Taylor said. “Other parts of Auckland want no growth at all.”The information presented showed a range of roading options for Warkworth, including the Matakana Link Road and a Sandspit Link Road,

the Puhoi to Warkworth Motorway and the Western Collector route.NZTA planner Sebastian Reed said the Matakana Link Road, which would provide an alternate link from Matakana Road to SH1, was unlikely to be completed before the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway in 2022. Rodney Councillor Penny Webster said she was pushing for the road to be built as a construction road for the motorway, which could be used by quarry trucks. NZTA and AT have confirmed they are drafting an agreement to fast-track construction of the road to take pressure off Hill

Street. Funding for the project won’t be confirmed until the transport budget is reviewed in 2018.The Western Collector proposal, which would create a western link around Warkworth running from McKinney Road west through to Hudson Road, was another major project being explored.Construction of the Mansel Drive bridge, which would provide a link between Woodcocks Road and Hudson Road, was due to start in a few months and would take about 10 months to complete. Wharehine

Construction has been awarded the contract. AT staff were also exploring other options for connecting the route to SH1. To the south, it could run from Mansel Drive, around the Morrison Drive industrial area and through to McKinney Road, while to the north it could either connect to Hudson Road or a new road could be built to link it further north, near the planned exit of the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway.Using the feedback, planners will create a draft proposal to be released for further consultation next month.AT traffic planner Ian Blundell said the draft should have a rough timeline of when transport infrastructure would be provided and consultation would likely run from mid April through to May.Plans showing the future urban zone to be developed in Warkworth also hinted at what future development might look like. The plans showed a smaller ‘neighbourhood centre’ in the south of Warkworth, which would include a small shopping strip to service basic needs of the 3500 to 4100 houses expected to be built in the area. While in the north of Warkworth there would be a larger ‘local centre’ to service the 3200 to 3800 houses proposed, which would likely include a supermarket, retail and offices.

developmentfeature 25MahurangimattersMarch 16, 2016

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The latest stores in The Grange retail centre on State Highway 1 in Warkworth are due to open next month, with more new tenants set to follow by the middle of the year.Developer Square & Main Street says it is hoping Dominos Pizza, Coffee Club and a Bottle-O liquor store will be open for business by mid-April, joining McDonalds and BP, which both opened late last year.They will then be followed in the coming months by an Educare early learning centre, a Floorwise flooring and carpet store, and takeaway restaurants including a Cizzlin fusion grill, St Pierre’s Sushi & Donburi, Kebabs on Queen and Tank Juice. A noodle bar, a fish and chip shop, an Indian restaurant,

a bakery, and a fruit and vegetable shop are also on the cards.Adam Reynolds, director of Square & Main Street, says 70 per cent of the floor space is now leased, with nine units still to be let out of the 30 being built, and they range in size from 500sqm down to 60sqm. Most of the units have now been built and are ready for fit-outs by tenants, with the whole shopping centre due for completion by the middle of this year.“We’ve been delayed a little bit, but that’s the nature of the business,” he says. “We’re on budget and on target, and looking forward to having it all open, and having a new shopping and eating amenity for Warkworth and all the drivers going past on the highway.”

Most of the units are almost finished and ready and ready for fit-out.

More shops for The Grange

developmentfeature26 Mahurangimatters March 16, 2016

A growing number of developers are setting minimum Homestar efficiency standards, and new Auckland Council regulations could see thousands of homes built using the rating system.The Homestar system was developed by the New Zealand Green Building Council, in consultation with industry and Government, to encourage the construction of a higher standard of homes. Homes are rated on a scale from one to 10, based on seven standards including energy efficiency, health, comfort, water and waste.Most new homes built to Building Code achieve a three or four Homestar rating, while most existing New Zealand homes only achieve two or three stars.Green Building Council communications advisor Mary de Ruyter says the number of homes being registered under the system have increased by 20 per cent over the past five months as more developers are requiring a minimum six-star rating for all houses or units. Since November last year, there have been 500 new registered dwellings and a total of 3000 have now been registered since the standard was set in 2010.“It’s the biggest growth we’ve experienced,” Mary says.More developers are seeing the standard as a selling point, she says.“It gives an edge in the market place. More people are starting to realise the benefit of designing a house to make the most of the heat of the sun, insulation to prevent heat loss and installing efficient water fittings.”Auckland Council is also introducing new regulations setting a six-star rating as a minimum standard for certain developments. All multi-unit developments in Council’s Special Housing Areas are expected to have a minimum six-star rating. The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan has also introduced sustainable building design requirements, where

developments of more than five dwellings will have to have a minimum six-star rating.Growth in owner-built Homestar homes has been slower, but perceptions are changing, Mary says.“There’s still an outdated perception that building green costs more. In reality, a Homestar-six home generally won’t cost any more, as long as you think about it from the beginning of the design process.”Construction of six houses at Matakana Green, on Matakana Valley Road, are now underway. All of the houses in the 35-lot development must have a minimum Homestar-seven rating.Developer David Wildish says the majority of the methods used to achieve the rating are more common-sense changes to building design and construction, rather than hi-tech breakthroughs.A lot of the requirements come down to insulation and making the most of the sun.Innovations include insulating the entire foundation of a building, so it effectively sits on a layer of polystyrene.New developments in double glazing also reduce heat-loss and condensation caused by the aluminum frames conducting cool air from outside.All buildings will also have a two-kilowatt solar system, which has been subsidised with a $5000 contribution from the developer.David has now started a company, Catalyst Homes, which focuses on building and designing homes to a minimum Homestar-six rating.The company has a team of two architects, a designer builder and an interior designer, focused on eco-friendly building.“We do the whole process, from design to build, all focused on achieving Homestar-six to eight ratings. We also hope to develop a range of prefabricated options to make the process quicker.”

Developer David Wildish at the Matakana Green subdivision.

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developmentfeature 27MahurangimattersMarch 16, 2016

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A budget rejig will allow the development of the Warkworth Showgrounds to stay on track, despite costs rising by $737,000.The Rodney Local Board has re-allocated $509,000, which was earmarked for building a new multisport complex on the site, in order to avoid a budget shortfall which would delay other work.The Mahurangi Sports and Recreation Collective coordinator Ruth Mills says construction of the multisport complex will take longer than anticipated and the funding wouldn’t have been able to be used in the 2016/17 year, where it was allocated.Council north parks manager Martin van Jaarsveld says construction costs have increased since the project was first scoped, adding over $500,000 to costs, and the budget had to be reprioritised.The cost of adding lighting to the sports fields and netball courts also increased by $220,000 after Council decided to install LED lights. The

$220,000 shortfall will be covered by Council’s Central Risk Fund. The lights are expected to be installed before winter.Over $3 million will be spent at the Showgrounds over the next two years as part of a development plan which has been ongoing for a decade.The work includes nearly $2 million on civil works to upgrade the carpark at the Showgrounds and create a building platform for a new multisport complex. A further $380,000 will be spent on constructing an onsite wastewater management system. Landscaping and design work will soak up the remainder of the budget.The sports collective will release detailed plans for building the multisport complex in the next couple of months. The project is expected to take a decade to complete.In the meantime, the sports collective and Mahurangi Rugby Club have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to share the rugby clubrooms and facilities.

Showgrounds costs rise

Work on the Oaks on Neville retirement apartments in the centre of Warkworth has had some setbacks after contractors hit water while installing drainage on-site. Project manager David Stott says they were aware there would be underground water at the site, but the level of water was greater than expected. “When we tried to dig drains they would collapse and the water would rise to the surface,” Mr Stott says. The water has made installing drainage and piling more complicated, adding to the time and cost of the project, he says. Work will close about 16 car parks on both sides of Neville Street this month as contractors install new cesspits as part of the development. The work will take about a week to complete. The project is expected to be finished by the end of 2017.

Water dampens Oaks progress

Diggers are excavating seven-metre holes in the foundation of the Oaks on Neville, replacing clay with gravel to allow underground water to flow freely through the site and lower the water level.