French inspire housing plan for Orewa

A vast new French-styled intensive housing project is being planned for a 4.7ha site alongside the main road into Orewa.

Developer Cabra Holdings says in its application to the Rodney District Council that it has modelled its proposed buildings on the architecture of the French village of St Emilion.

But development critic Percy Allison of the Poverty Action Coalition on the North Shore said Orewa should not be converted into a Miami-style condominium area.

"It's all part of the scenario where if we don't protest, we're encouraging higher buildings closer and closer to the shoreline," he said.

"Most ratepayers should be opposed to this."

Cabra wants to build 144 apartments, stand-alone houses and townhouses on the site to the northwest of Orewa alongside Grand Drive. Cabra's site is bounded by Ambassador Glade, Westhoe Heights Rd, Westhoe Rd and Grand Drive.

Cabra director Lloyd Barker said the houses had not been priced yet but they were unlikely to sell for less than $400,000.

As part of the project, Cabra is planning a large communal recreation building with 25m swimming pool, petanque court, gymnasium, barbecue area and a residents' room.

But the plans have been notified for public comment because eight of the 35 buildings proposed in the development will be more than the 9m maximum permitted height. Two four-level buildings and four three-level buildings are planned, all with basement parking.

The scale of the St Emilion-style project is so large that Cabra has proposed building it in stages.

Rodney District Council's notified consents administrator, Marcia Casey, has written to residents describing the proposed development and seeking submissions. She is drawing their attention in particular to the project's proposed height.

Heather Donnelly, a real estate agent with Orewa's First Choice Realty, said price expectations for the St Emilion development were not out of line with sales already achieved in the area.