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One of the biggest development battles of the year kicks off in Manukau City today as opponents of a Gold Coast-type canal village on the banks of the Wairoa River line up to try to sink the project.
The hearing, in front of a panel of Manukau City councillors, is scheduled to last three weeks and will include hundreds of submissions and a raft of reports and expert evidence for and against the $100 million residential development, just north of the village of Clevedon in East Auckland.
A special district plan change will need to be approved by the council if the "Maritime Village" of around 300 homes, each with its own boat mooring, is to go ahead.
Developer Derek Presland's project faces opposition from residents, Auckland Regional Council and Watercare Services.
