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Land at Brookvale has now been rezoned for residential development as part of the mediation of an appeal to the proposed Hastings District Plan. The Environment Court has approved the new District Plan provisions that will relate to the residential zoning of Brookvale.
A structure plan has also been approved by the Court and this document guides and directs the residential development of the area. The structure plan sets out things such as the road layout, infrastructure services and the location of public reserves, walkways and cycleways.
A number of specialist reports and peer reviews were prepared to assist in the development of a structure plan for the area. Some residential development is now occuring at Brookvale, in line with the staging approved by the Environment Court. The extent of the rezoning area is depicted on the Brookvale development area map.
A request to rezone the land at Brookvale was made to Council as part of public submissions on the Proposed District Plan back in 2014. The Council rejected the submission at the time as the Brookvale area was not identified in the regional growth strategy (known as the Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy or HPUDS) as an appropriate growth area. The Council’s decision was appealed to the Environment Court in October 2015. Following the review of HPUDS in 2016, the Brookvale area was included in the 2017 revised strategy as a Greenfield Growth Area. This allowed the Council to consider this area for rezoning to replace the Arataki Extension area (which was affected by the Te Mata odour issue)
The process of mediating an Environment Court appeal is confidential between all parties involved in the appeal. In October 2015 when the Council’s decision was appealed to the Environment Court, any submitters to the District Plan process could have advised the Court that they wished to be a party to the Appeal and thus participate in the mediation process and be privy to the information and discussions that occurred during this Court led process.
Until the documents outlining the resolution of the Appeal are signed by all parties and approved by the Environment Court, the Council could not advise landowners or the public about the specific details of the potential rezoning and could not involve other parties in the structure plan process. The Environment Court ratified its decision on 13 January 2020 and Council can now provide detail around the District Plan provisions and Structure Plan which will direct development at Brookvale.
Below is an outline of some of the elements of the Structure Plan. The full wording of the District Plan provisions can be found in Eplan.
Staging – Development within the Brookvale Structure Plan area will occur in stages, which has been determined by infrastructure funding in Council’s Long Term Plan. These stages are clearly identified on the Structure Plan, with Area A (Stage 1), Area A (Stage 2) and Area B available for development now, and Area C available in 2025. However, staging can be brought forward by way of Council resolution. The future stages of development as identified in HPUDS and shown on the Structure Plan will be investigated for rezoning depending on the level of uptake and when reverse sensitivity issues have been satisfactorily resolved.
Roading – The extension of Russell Robertson Drive through the new urban development area provides a key road link connecting the existing Arataki community with the new Brookvale residential area. Intersection upgrades are proposed for Napier/ Thompson Road and Thompson Road/Russell Robertson Drive Extension.
Infrastructure – Land is set aside for stormwater detention and management including upgrading the existing Crombie drainage reserve. The plan also shows existing wastewater discharge points, with wastewater pump station locations determined by detailed subdivision design. Water will be supplied via a new water main connected to Brookvale and Napier Roads via Thompson Road.
Public open space – 5000m2 of recreational reserve space is to be set aside in two locations including the potential for children’s playgrounds.
Walkways and cycleways - Provision for pedestrian walkways and cycleways including off-road cycleways and share pathways along the Crombie drainage reserve and Russell Robertson Drive extension (including the portion of Thompson Road through to Napier Road).
Noise mitigation area – A 75m wide noise buffer area is identified along the Napier Road edge of the urban development area with associated provisions to mitigate traffic noise effects from Napier Road and ensure a pleasant residential amenity.
Development restriction area – A 25m development restriction area is identified around an existing cool store operation that is located within the new urban development area to avoid potential impacts of noise on new residential activities and reverse sensitivity effects on the existing coolstore use.
Some subdivision applications for the first stages have been approved and development has commended. Other applications within these early stages have been lodged and are being considered by Council. Council has committed to building some key infrastructure within the structure plan area and planning for this is underway.
Further newsletters will be prepared as work progresses at Brookvale. If you would like to receive these newsletters electronically or know of any other residents who may wish to receive this newsletter, you can make this request by emailing Anna Sanders, Senior Environmental Planner Policy (Special Projects) You are also welcome to email any questions you may have regarding this project to the same email address or phone us on 06 871 5000.
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