Media release for immediate use16 April 2024
BEGINS
Major Differences between Beachlands proposal and the future of Gulf Harbour
The recently announced Beachlands South development (see link below) may invite comparisons with what could happen in Gulf Harbour in the future, however, there are a number of major differences.
Gulf Harbour was conceived as a master-planned development. That happened in the 1990s with Gulf Harbour Country Club Golf Course and the Marina as anchor businesses. Other endeavours, catering to the marine industry, hospitality, state education amenities, along with the private Wentworth Primary and College schools,
supported this new community and other services followed and are in place today.
The Beachlands South development is an attempt to create a future master-planned community over the next twenty years from an unplanned, ad hoc beachside development which has been slowly growing in an mainly haphazard way over the last 80 years.Meanwhile, the Gulf Harbour master-planned development is under threat from the golf course closure!
Massive intensification has already occurred in Gulf Harbour. The 89 hectare golf course green space with its 999 year Encumbrance is mitigation for the intensive existing housing. Examples of that housing are seen in the Marina tower blocks, apartment complexes, duplexes and townhouses as well as the approximately 400 duplexes and houses that directly back onto the Gulf Harbour Golf Course itself. There is also scope for another 1000 residential-zoned dwellings in Gulf Harbour ranging from starter home packages to high end housing incorporating marina berths that will further test the existing peninsular infrastructure, already under strain. In addition, Hopper Developments’ council-approved “Hobbs Bay Estate”, which has recently started earthwork construction, will add around another 85 high end homes.
The location of Gulf Harbour makes it an ideal location for a recreation zone with limited housing above that already built or consented. Access to the very end of the Whangaparāoa peninsula is challenging.
The existing transport infrastructure consists of a peak-time only ferry service (with no weekend sailings) and a predominately single-lane 16 kilometre access road to Silverdale. The road is often congested with peak-time two kilometre tail-backs from the Manly Village roundabout to the Whangaparāoa town centre. The Beachlands proposal talks about spending $75m on road improvements from Beachlands out to the State Highway One motorway. For Gulf Harbour traffic congestion to be resolved - if it ever occurred - road widening on the seven kilometres from the Gulf Harbour town centre to the Whangaparāoa town centre has been estimated to be in the realm of $1billion. The new Penlink diversion to State Highway One will not change this congestion as it will entail another peak-time crawl along the two kilometres from Whangaparāoa town centre to beginning of Penlink at Stanmore Bay – or nine kilometres from the Gulf Harbour town centre.
Keep Whangaparāoa’s Green Spaces is preparing to make these arguments, among others, on behalf of the entire Whangaparāoa community when the Auckland Council notifies us that the public submission/hearing process into the Long River Resource Consent Application (which seeks to vary the titles on the Gulf Harbour Country Club Golf Course) will begin.
ENDS
For more information contact Howard Baldwin: comms@kwgnz.org
Visit our website: www.kwgnz.org