New road helps drive industrial expansion
Demand for industrial land near Cambridge, in part due to the Waikato Expressway, has seen Waipa District Council bring forward a zoning change north of the town.
In the council’s growth cell C9 – the proposed industrial land in Hautapu – is shown as ‘‘deferred industrial’’, and is planned for development after 2035.
However, the council’s district plan and growth manager Tony Quickfall said several resource consents have already been granted for the area and council was now proposing Draft Plan Change 17 to lift the deferment and make the industrial zoning ‘‘live’’.
The proposed change will open around 55 hectares of land for industrial development.
Quickfall said with Cambridge still attracting more industrial activity, it gave the council confidence to bring forward the zoning.
‘‘Anecdotally, too, we are still getting queries for industrial activities wanting to either relocate or set up in Cambridge and Hautapu is our industrial zone.’’
Quickfall believes the completion of the final 22km piece of SH1 in July this year, allowing for a 110kph stretch from Hampton Downs to south of Cambridge, may have also played a part in the interest.
He said the new expressway had created an easy transport route.
‘‘We are seeing a bit of relocation of industries established either in Hamilton or Auckland ... new industries coming up and taking more land than where they’ve come from, which means they are expanding.’’
Quickfall said the proposed plan change better reflected current land use and helped with a proposal to move industry out of Carter’s Flat in Cambridge.
Public submissions have already opened on proposals to rezone Carter’s Flat to a commercial mixed-use zone.
The proposed Plan Change, which will now follow a statutory public submission and decision process, with submissions open from September 30.