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Furious Clevedon residents are vowing to fight Manukau City Council's decision in favour of a $100 million-plus marine village in their backyard.
A change to the district plan was announced late last week, which will allow for 297 new homes to be built on man-made canals close to the mouth of the Wairoa River near rural Clevedon, 40 minutes' drive southeast of Auckland City.
The Wairoa River maritime village development, to be known as Clevedon Quays, has been controversial since it was mooted almost a decade ago. It involves a series of canals and a 24-hour, staffed, lock-and-weir system for all-tide access for boaties. Sections will range in size from 600 to 1100sq m and cost a minimum of $500,000.
Mary Whitehouse, spokeswoman for the action group Clevedon Cares, which opposes the project, said the ruling flew in the face of local opinion and her group would "almost certainly" lodge an appeal with the Environment Court.
"Although we're furious, we're not hugely surprised by the decision," she said. "The three-to-two majority [decision] shows that, obviously, it was not that clear cut." The council had registered a six-to-one majority vote against the complex when submissions were lodged in May last year.
Award-winning singer/songwriter Don McGlashan, who owns a bach in the area and has lent his voice for fundraising against the development, told the Herald On Sunday he was shocked and stunned by the news.
"I'll be lending my full support to Clevedon Cares and hope they find some way of making the council see sense," he said.
Opponents have long argued that the high-density project isn't in keeping with the area's rural character and will place pressure on infrastructure and the environment. However, supporters say having hundreds of new residents will be good for the local economy, facilities for boaties will be improved by dredging the river and creation of a wetland will mean conservation gains.
Developer Derek Presland said the project would make better use of marginal farming land and would bring better roading. Experts had calculated that once the village was completed it would add around $16 million a year to the local economy, with 130 new jobs, he said.
Although happy with the hearing committee's decision, Presland said there was still a "tremendous" amount to be done before any building could begin, possibly as early as next year. "It has been a long haul up to now - it is something like seven years to get this far. This is a milestone decision."
But Whitehouse vowed opposition would continue from people across the Auckland region and beyond who recognised the need to keep a rural belt around an ever-expanding city.
"One of the real concerns we have is, though Manukau council seems to think this wouldn't be precedent-setting in the legal sense, it's difficult to see how once you start with a development like this you can stop other people developing even more."
