Securing a plan change for a key housing development in the Bay of Plenty
At a glance...
Reddington Trust needed a residential plan change for a large-scale property development.
There were protected wetlands and streams onsite, as well as areas of cultural interest that required special consideration.
A comprehensive planning process that was managed with ease by the client.
Overview
Reddington Trust and came to us for help with developing a large block of land in Ohauiti, Tauranga. With protected wetlands and streams onsite, varying elevations, and areas of cultural interest, it was a complex undertaking. Here鈥檚 how we worked with archaeologists, stormwater and earthworks professionals to find the right solutions.
The ask
Reddington Trust has an interest in a large block of land in Ohauiti, Tauranga, which they want to develop for residential housing purposes.
鈥淭here were two sides to the land. One stretched down the western side of a ridge, and one to the east, so it wasn鈥檛 exactly flat! Our client needed a medium-density residential plan change in order to build.鈥�
| Senior Freshwater Ecologist at Ecological Solutions
Plan changes are required when land is currently zoned for something different than its intended future use.
鈥淭hey involve in-depth due diligence where we outline the AG真人百家乐官网入口 values of a place. We essentially say: 鈥榟ere鈥檚 a piece of land and this is what鈥檚 on it. If the use changes from 鈥榬ural鈥� to 鈥榬esidential鈥�, we don鈥檛 think this will negatively impact its ecology, based on this information鈥�.鈥�
In this case, the plan change application needed to demonstrate the extent of the protected wetlands and streams onsite, and how that might change over time due to disturbance. If accepted, we would need to follow up with assessing the AG真人百家乐官网入口 impacts more thoroughly.
鈥淭he complexity with this project was not just securing the plan change for land that was varied in elevation and ecology, but the scale of that land and the number of interdisciplinary experts involved. We needed to blend our skills and expertise seamlessly to produce the desired outcome for our client.鈥�
Why us?
We have a long-standing relationship with Harrison Grierson, having worked together on various projects in the past. We have extensive experience with enabling land developments to proceed while talking complex environmental challenges into account. This, combined with our experience in the Bay of Plenty region, meant that we were the natural choice for the job.
Our solution
We prepared a robust plan change application to confirm that rezoning the area wouldn鈥檛 compromise its AG真人百家乐官网入口 value.
鈥淲hen the plan change was accepted, that meant we had agreement that shifting from rural to residential use probably wouldn鈥檛 be detrimental to the land. But we needed to prove it by thoroughly assessing the effects and overlaying earthworks and stormwater plans. So the next step was an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). This is where we go into more detail about how construction might disturb the ecology, and how that disturbance can be managed.鈥�
The results
By collaborating with a diverse team on this project, we have been able to ensure that the development proceeds without delays due to potential AG真人百家乐官网入口 challenges.
鈥淭he land was far from flat with plenty of contours and gullies, and this was particularly difficult for the stormwater modellers鈥�
As a team, we worked to find solutions together. We are confident that the residential project will be able to go ahead and provide jobs and housing for people in Tauranga.