Plan change for former quarry approved

Auckland City Council's Planning and Regulatory Committee has recommended final approval of Private Plan Change 7. This decision allows Landco's Stonefields development on the site of the former Mt Wellington Quarry to move ahead to provide homes for over 6000 new residents.

The committee's decision covers approximately 50ha of the former quarry, but excludes provisions for a small strip of land at the base of the Mt Wellington/Maungarei volcanic cone that will be finalised later this year.

Committee chairperson, Councillor Glenda Fryer, says that with Auckland city's population expected to grow by 93,000 people to the year 2021, the new Stonefields development has an important role to play in helping to provide for the homes, jobs, community facilities and local services needed.

"The Mt Wellington Quarry site has been identified by the council as a key growth area and it will see a mix of high quality homes developed, including town houses and low-rise apartments, in a well planned community."

"The Stonefields development will also bring with it economic benefits for nearby town centres, including Panmure and Glen Innes, with an increased retail spend worth an estimated $54 million a year," Ms Fryer says.

The transformation of the former quarry, the largest single brownfield site on the isthmus, into a high quality residential neighbourhood supports the council's commitment to sustainable development and a more compact city.

"Stonefields will be an example of a walkable neighbourhood, where it will be possible to walk to the local deli or walk your children to school," Ms Fryer says.

"The developer is also taking steps to minimise the impact of the neighbourhood on the environment and the nearby Waiatarua wetlands, by treating stormwater and banning the use of zinc or copper in roofing materials."

Homes in the development will feature energy efficiency measures and in an example of "smart plumbing" at work, houses will have a secondary system of water pipes to use stormwater to flush toilets and water gardens.

The Environment Court has asked Landco and the council to look again at provisions for the strip of land that borders on the base of Mt Wellington and submit a revised proposal to take account of concerns raised by the court and the Auckland Volcanic Cones Society.