Earthworks for stage one of The Comfort Group’s Sleepyhead Estate at Ohinewai are complete, and construction of the company’s foam manufacturing facility is well underway and set to be completed in the third quarter of this year. Video / Supplied
The first stage of the planned $1.2 billion Sleepyhead Estate development at Ohinewai, Waikato, is nearing completion, with the end of construction of New Zealand’s largest foam manufacturing plant now in sight.
The 6076-square-metre factory is set to be finished in the third quarter of this year and operational earlynext year, said Craig Turner, director of developer The Comfort Group.
At that point it would employ 15 people and supply 100 per cent of foam for the company’s bedding manufacture in New Zealand, he said.
The Comfort Group is Australasia’s biggest bedmaker, owned by Auckland’s Turner family. Its brands include Sleepyhead, Sleepmaker and Dunlop Foams.
The masterplan, called the Sleepyhead Estate, received planning and rezoning approval early last year.
The development is for a large manufacturing centre and up to 1100 new homes on 178 hectares, beside the Waikato Expressway and the main rail line.
Turner said the completion of the project would span more than a decade.
An artist's impression of the $1.2 billion Sleepyhead Estate project at Ohinewai. Image / Supplied
The company, a major exporter, has outgrown its aged manufacturing plants in Auckland’s Avondale and Ōtāhuhu, and wants to provide homes for staff who cannot afford Auckland house prices. The Comfort Group employs 1000 people in Auckland and Australia.
The site will give the bedding and bedmaker ease of access to any imported materials it requires from Auckland’s port, and export through the Port of Tauranga. A rail siding is part of the site work.
Turner said earthworks for the first stage were complete. When earthworks began on 35ha of the site early last year they were expected to cost at least $12m.
The company would soon call for expressions of interest from commercial and industrial partners “interested in the national and regional economic benefits this development will offer and want to establish their operations there”, Turner said.
The development is in the so-called “golden” economic triangle of Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton.
Planning was continuing for the next phases of the development, Turner said.
Stage two would be the Sleepyhead factory and stage three the commercial area.
A variety of factors meant timelines had been extended for these stages, but the phasing hadn’t changed, he said.
Last year the company said up to 70ha of the total site would be dedicated to industrial/manufacturing, and about 10ha to community amenities including a petrol station. No supermarket is permitted in the development as local authorities want residents to visit and shop in nearby Huntly, in a bid to transform that town and its economy.
Economic reports supporting the consent applications for the Sleepyhead Estate suggested it would inject $8.5b into the Waikato economy over the next 10 years, create up to 2600 new jobs and provide the region with much-needed housing.
It is planned that much of the rest of the site will be devoted to housing, 50ha of wetland, running and walking tracks, playing grounds and a community centre and hall.
Turner said the focus over the past year had been on preparatory earthworks, obtaining additional building and resource consents and on discussions about critical infrastructure such as wastewater, stormwater, freshwater and electricity for the next stages.
“For a greenfield development of this size and scale, it’s necessary to take a staged and methodical approach and to adapt the timing and staging of the project as required, to ultimately deliver a development that is fit for purpose and creates a thriving community.
“As with all major greenfield developments, timing and staging is also contingent on securing access to critical infrastructure; wastewater, stormwater, water and electricity.
“We have been working with all relevant parties to progress this, and while agreements are yet to be reached, we’re confident there is a clear path forward for solutions on key infrastructure.”
Planning for the next stages was continuing while these discussions were underway.
