KEY POINTS:
A developer says his proposed European-style village in rural Waimauku, north-west of Auckland, will offer affordable homes on leasehold land as well as mansions for the wealthy.
Rick Martin, of Cornerstone Group, said yesterday the aim of Waimauku Estate was a "balanced community" living in 1375 units, which would be arranged in four clusters and two farm hamlets on about 13 per cent of a 464ha farm.
"It's not a proper community if it's full of million-dollar houses," said Mr Martin.
"A gated community is no way to go either - you have to have the guy who works in the factory down the road or in the fruit packing sheds, the middle-income couple with kids and retired wealthy people."
He said the initial cost of buying a home would be brought down by development sites and farm land being held in a perpetuity leasehold structure.
This would make the land cost a small part of the price of a home - limited to just how much was needed to cover the expense of providing the infrastructure.
Living costs could also be reduced through a community goal of zero waste and self-sufficiency in water and energy needs.
Smart building design, use of rainwater tanks and solar water heating would be used to cut power demands and on-site generation technologies ranging from photovoltaic, biogas, wind and a mini hydro dam were being considered.
An internal tram system would connect residential clusters and street design would encourage walking and cycling to local employment, school, shops and parks.
Commuting from the village to work was a prospect because it adjoined the main western railway line to Waitakere and Auckland cities.
The company has lodged a request for a private change to the Rodney District Plan to allow urban development on the farm, which is 2km north-west of the existing Waimauku Village on SH16.
During the past four years of planning, Cornerstone has tested the waters for opposition from Waimauku residents, who are waiting for the district council to prepare a new structure plan for the village's urban expansion.
In June, Cornerstone failed to get resource consent for a railway station-themed cafe and function centre on the site.
That proposal received 463 submissions - 333 of them against and some described the proposal as a "trojan horse" and "thin edge of the wedge".
Auckland Regional Council refused to allow an urban activity in a rural area and the district council said the station would be seen as potentially the first stage of compromising a wholly rural landscape.
The station village remains in the new application.
Residents' group Vision Waimauku said the station was the first step for the developers to impose the larger proposal on the community.
A council spokesman said that once it had all the information about the proposal, it would decide whether to adopt or reject the application or convert it to a resource consent application.
The council has also received a proposal for resource consent to create eight lots, each of 3000 sq m, inside the structure plan study area.
The applicants are Bill Tiffin, a resident, and John and Pauline Wintour of Kerikeri.
* THE PROPOSAL
1375 dwelling units in neighbourhood clusters
Variety of housing types
Town square and adjoining commercial, retail, entertainment, produce market
Internal tramway
182ha bush, wetlands
