Peacocke will be a big piece in finally delivering the community in our city's south which has been promised for decades Photo / Supplied
Peacocke will be a big piece in finally delivering the community in our city's south which has been promised for decades Photo / Supplied
Hamilton's new wastewater connection to Peacocke will improve environmental outcomes for the Waikato River and the wider city, the city council says.
Hamilton City Council has awarded CB Civil & Drainage Ltd the contract to build a wastewater connection to link the new growth area with the city's existing network.
The $28.5 million project includes two pipelines running from Cobham Drive, along the Eastern Town Belt and Wairere Drive to connect into the existing wastewater system near Crosby Rd.
The Amberfield subdivision planned in the Peacocke suburb on the west bank of the Waikato River. Photo / Hamilton City Council
The pipeline will eventually link up with a new pump station to be built in Peacocke.
Mayor Paula Southgate said the pipeline has been designed to meet tougher environmental standards and to improve the health of the Waikato River.
"A strong wastewater network is critical for the health of the Waikato River and the wider environment and we have an obligation to absolutely get it right," she said.
"Peacocke is this city's biggest ever investment in the environment; we're doing huge amounts of work to restore gullies including putting in protections for endangered long-tailed bats.
"Peacocke is not just about building more houses. It's about developing a quality, sustainable community that Hamilton families will be proud to live in and importantly, will enjoy living in."
The new wastewater system will cater for Peacocke homes, plus provide additional capacity for growth and free up capacity in the city's existing wastewater network.
Chairman of the council's Strategic Growth Committee councillor Dave Macpherson said: "This contract is part of a wider vision for the way we are developing Peacocke. It's part of an overall package which focuses not just on the hard infrastructure, but on how that can support environmental, cultural, transportation and social needs in Peacocke, as well as supporting future needs of the wider city.
"It is another big piece in finally delivering the community in our city's south which has been promised for decades." This is the second major contract the council has announced for Peacocke. HEB Construction was awarded the $135m contract to build a new Waikato River bridge and transport network.
Work is set to begin this month on a new bridge over the Waikato River to unlock the new Peacocke suburb to the south of Hamilton. Image / Supplied
Southgate says: "Hamilton is the hub of the Waikato region and the beginning of this work shows confidence in our local economy and its ability to bounce back and be resilient."
Work on the pipeline is expected to start this month and take up to two years.
Peacocke is being built with support from the Government's Housing Infrastructure Fund, made up of a $180.3m 10-year interest-free loan and $110.1m of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency subsidies.
When completed, Peacocke will be home for up to 20,000 Hamiltonians.
City seeks approval for $17m waters stimulus plan
Meanwhile, the council is seeking approval for Government-funded water, wastewater and stormwater stimulus projects in the city worth more than $17m.
Councillor Angela O'Leary, chairwoman of the council's Infrastructure Committee, says the proposals take a "whole of city" approach to looking after the health and wellbeing of residents and managing our most precious natural resource.
Initiatives include $2.5m for environmental projects including gully networks, erosion control and planting, $3m for three-waters infrastructure in Rotokauri, $3.5m for data management and renewals of the city's systems, $1.45m to identify a "best-for-river" regional wastewater solution, and $1.5m to identify and repair leaks and incorrect connections.
The projects are part of Hamilton's delivery plan as the city plays its part in the Government's $761m Three Waters Services Reform.
In August, the council's Strategic Growth Committee unanimously agreed to join the first phase of the programme.
O'Leary says successful implementation of the proposals would benefit the city in many ways.
"That reform programme made $17.46m available to Hamilton for projects supporting these aims. I believe our collective project package meets those aspirations and delivers tremendous value to our ratepayers and our environment," O'Leary says.
"This funding enables us to take on projects which weren't part of our Annual Plan budgets, meaning we can do more without asking for more from ratepayers.
A delivery plan will be assessed by Crown Infrastructure Partners and the Department of Internal Affairs before October 31.
