The construction of a 279 home canal-front development in rural South Auckland has been rejected by the Environment Court, after a lengthy planning process.Redevelopment of a section of land along the Wairoa River near Clevedon has been proposed for years
The construction of a 279 home canal-front development in rural South Auckland has been rejected by the Environment Court, after a lengthy planning process.
Redevelopment of a section of land along the Wairoa River near Clevedon has been proposed for years by various companies, from a 1100 township in the 1990s and a 375-berth marina in the 1980s.
Both of those were rejected and now the latest scheme has met the same fate.
Westminster Properties, directed by Leonard Derek Presland-Tack who also has business partnerships with the Augusta Group, has been trying to get through plans for a 279 home canal-front development.
Because of its rural location, the site needed a zoning change for development to go ahead.
The section of land is located 4.5km from Clevedon village on the Wairoa River.
It was zoned rural 1 and would have needed to change to maritime village, and would be bigger in size than Clevedon village itself.
Its scale, with 279 sections at a minimum size of 350sq m would make it more urban, yet its location was a rural area, about 20km away from both Manukau and Botany Town Centre.
Environment Court judge Gordon Whiting found the development was not of a rural nature, and did not give approval for the plan change to go ahead.
Community group Clevedon Cares celebrated the news on its website publishing “We won! The Environment Court overturned the Council decision and cancelled the Plan Change. Thanks to everyone who has supported us - Clevedon will stay rural!”
Mr Presland-Tack could not be contacted by press time.
