$1.2b Sleepyhead Estate North Waikato development to ramp up in 2022

An artist's impression of the $1.2 billion Sleepyhead Estate development planned for Ohinewai. Image / Supplied

All appeals against the decision to rezone 178 hectares of rural land at Ohinewai, North Waikato, have been resolved, without the need for an Environment Court hearing, enabling development of the $1.2 billion Sleepyhead Estate to ramp up this year.

The Waikato District Council has filed a memorandum with the Environment Court, confirming all the points being appealed have been resolved and settlement has been agreed between all parties.

The parties will now file consent memoranda in the Environment Court and the appeals will be finally disposed of once the court has reviewed the amended provisions of the proposed district plan and issued consent orders.

In May last year, The Comfort Group received approval of the rezoning that will enable the development to proceed from the hearing panel appointed by the Waikato District Council, as part of the Proposed Waikato District Plan process.

In July, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, the Waikato Regional Council and The Ralph Estates lodged appeals in the Environment Court against the district council's decision.

In the following five months, the council has been engaging with all parties to resolve these issues without the need for a hearing in the Environment Court.

Image / Supplied

The Sleepyhead Estate is a unique, master-planned development at Ohinewai which comprises a $1.2 billion, 178-hectare manufacturing hub and residential community. The development would create up to 2600 jobs in the North Waikato region and provide up to 1100 new homes over the next 10 years.

The development is owned by The Comfort Group, Australasia's largest bedding and foam manufacturer, and includes the Sleepyhead, SleepMaker and Dunlop Foams brands.

Director of The Comfort Group, Craig Turner, said the resolution was recognition of constructive negotiations from all parties involved.

"We are delighted to have reached a settlement on the rezoning decision without the need for an Environment Court hearing. We thank the Waikato District Council for facilitating this process and all parties for working with us to find workable solutions that will enable us to proceed.

"We now look forward to continuing to progress the development, including securing further earthworks consents to prepare building platforms and to obtain building consents for the foam factory in early 2022."

Further construction contracts will then be entered into, with the foam factory expected to be operational in 2023.