Window of opportunity to plan for Horowhenua’s boom
The population of Horowhenua is expected to boom in the next two decades and the biggest challenge local leaders face is keeping up with infrastructure for new developments.
Along with the predicted growth, the opening of the Ōtaki to north of Levin highway will have a big effect on the region.
The new road will move the existing State Highway 1 from the middle of the Levin and bypass the town. Work is scheduled to start in the 2025-26 construction season.
Horowhenua mayor
Bernie Wanden is one of the members of the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee, looking at the future of the lower North Island.
The committee has come up with a development strategy for housing and infrastructure to provide for a predicted increase of 200,000 people in the next 30 years. About 20% of that number was predicted to settle in Kāpiti and Horowhenua.
Horowhenua’s population is 37,000 with Levin contributing about 20,000. Horowhenua was expected to grow to 54,000 by 2044 and would need 300 to 400 houses built every year to keep up.
A commercial area and a huge new subdivision of 3500 houses, Tara-Ika, are planned for Levin’s eastern boundary.
Wanden said before 2016 the region’s growth was 0.1-0.4% a year, but since then it had been more than 2% a year. He expected similar growth to what Kāpiti had experienced in the past 10 to 15 years.
About 26% of Horowhenua’s population was over 65, but Wanden believed the opening of the new road would give people, including younger families, opportunities for jobs and housing.
Houses were needed across the district, but Tara-Ika, the area bordered by Queen St East, SH57 and Tararua Rd, should cater for many of them. A school was also planned for the area.
The council recently approved the final plan change to allow the build. Ground work has started on the first phase – 200 homes that have been consented.
Wanden said a number of areas in the district had been identified for potential growth, but that had to be balanced with protecting the high-class soils in the region used for vegetable growing.
Much land on the eastern edge of Levin was commercial, which Wellington didn’t have a lot of, and the development strategy indicated some businesses from the Wellington region could set up there, he said.
A new industrial area had sprung up on Bush St, and Wanden said it was obvious businesses could see the potential there with the amount of money they were spending.
Another business park was expected for an area near Tararua Rd.
The developments will be needed when the Ōtaki to north of Levin highway opens, scheduled for 2029.
Wanden said an Environment Court decision giving the highway the green light was due out in the next month. No longer having SH1 going through town would be a big change for Levin, he said.
“We don’t own our main street, we don’t own our CBD, it’s controlled by the traffic and Waka Kotahi. It’s about getting our CBD back.
“Everyone over the years has said Levin has no real heart because of that, because it’s dominated by the traffic.”
SH1 was often congested and Wanden said it was an “absolute shambles”.
So to take the traffic away “would be a significant improvement to the amenity and ambience of the town”.
With the change in roading coming, the council was working on the Levin town centre project, looking at areas that could be developed or upgraded.
“We’ve got this window of opportunity to be able to plan strategically what this town could look like and should look like when it’s ready to go.
“It is challenging here. We’re economically one of the most deprived in the country.
‘‘We’ve always been seen as a bit of a passing through and insignificant place.
“I think we’ve got an opportunity here to be able to change that perception.”
To ensure it had enough water to cater for the growth, the council was investigating building a reservoir on Poads Rd, southeast of Levin.
The council hoped to lodge a resource consent later this year.
The existing water treatment plan holds about a day’s supply, but the reservoir would increase that to 30 days. Wanden said this would encourage industries that used a lot of water to operate in the area.
“If we don’t do something about it, we’re not going to be able to grow like we should. If we don’t do it, we’re saying to industry we can’t have you here.”
Along with the installation of water meters across the district, it should lead to fewer water restrictions.
Wanden said the uncertainty of Government water reforms had created issues for some councils, but Horowhenua didn’t have huge problems with poor water infrastructure as others did.
“We’ve always forged ahead knowing that growth is coming, but we’ve put plans in place to manage that ... we’ve got to be able to be in a position to be able to supply effectively and deliver the services our population deserve.”