Drury South Business Project – June 2010 Update

Drury South — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:54:56 +0000

Further to our letter of 1 March 2010, we write to provide you with an update on the Drury South Business Project.

Since the previous correspondence I have taken-over as Chief Executive of Stevenson Group Limited. I have spent time over the last two months reviewing the Drury South project, and have met many people in the district to discuss the project and its implications. While we appreciate that there are challenges to overcome, I am excited at the prospect of the Stevenson Group facilitating an initiative which has the potential to deliver approximately 7,000 direct jobs and induce a further 12,000 jobs in the wider region.

As you will be aware, our project team is working with Papakura and Franklin District Councils to advance the technical analysis required to form the basis of the proposed district plan change applications. Unfortunately, as is often the case with large projects such as this, this exercise is taking longer than we had originally expected.

In recent weeks we have been asked by the Councils to bring forward a package of work relating to how the project infrastructure will be established. We were previously intending to undertake this analysis once we had lodged the district plan change applications. However, after further dialogue with the Councils we have agreed to complete this analysis now so that it can accompany these applications when they are lodged.

We are currently scoping these tasks, but at this stage it looks as though they are going to take several months to complete. We will update you again as the programme for lodgement becomes more clearly defined.

In the meantime, if you wish to keep informed on the project we recommend that you subscribe to the free update service on the website (www.drurysouth.net.nz), as we will post updates and information on the site as it comes to hand. Alternatively, if you wish to talk with one of our representatives about the project, you can call on 0800 000 583.

Yours faithfully

Mark Franklin
Chief Executive
STEVENSON GROUP LIMITED

Revised Concept

Admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:10:22 +0000

Thank you to everyone who attended the information days held in October and November 2009, or who subsequently met with our project team and provided feedback on the project. The information days were designed to provide landowners, stakeholders and the community with an opportunity to view the proposed Drury South Business Project, ask questions of the project team and to provide feedback.

In response to the feedback received and further technical analysis, the concept plan has been modified. This revised plan will form part of any applications to Papakura and Franklin District Councils.

FEEDBACK

At the close of the feedback period 112 pieces of written feedback were received.

Similar issues

In the written feedback and from discussions with individuals a number of common or similar issues emerged:

Issue	Response
The need for more business land	Those in support of the project agreed that there would be new employment opportunities and there would be economic benefits for the southern sector and the Auckland region as a whole. There is extensive evidence of the future shortfall of land suitable for business activities in the region.
Uncertainty	Stevenson is working with both Papakura and Franklin District Councils to progress the project so that there is more certainty for landowners and the community. Any plan change process generates uncertainty. Stevenson recognise that it is important that RMA processes are implemented as efficiently as possible to minimise delay and the period of uncertainty for landowners.
Concerns over loss of rural character & size of the proposal	Those opposed to the project referred to the loss of rural character and lifestyle. They referred to impacts that the project will have on the landscape of the area. We recognise that there will be a loss of rural character as a result of the proposal although the concept and proposed plan changes contain measures to mitigate this loss. A number of those providing feedback considered the area of the project was too large. The revised concept addresses this issue.
Traffic and road connections to Drury	There was support for improved roading connections. People acknowledged that improving access to and from the Drury Quarry was a good thing. The revised concept proposes retaining the Davies Road link for cars and light vehicles while closing the Ramarama Road links. This revision will remove heavy truck traffic past the Ramarama School and rural residential properties on Ararimu Road in the south.
Nose and Air Pollution	The plan change will contain specific rules relating to noise. Industries which have the potential to produce discharge to air have been designed to be located away from sensitive areas and will be subject to regional plan rules on air quality.
Flooding	A comprehensive stormwater assessment is underway and the proposal has been designed so that there are no new adverse effects from flooding experienced at either the upstream or downstream boundaries of the project area. In the developable land within the project area sufficient stormwater/flood mitigation has been designed.

MODIFIED CONCEPT PLAN

Following the feedback and discussions with a number of land owners the project team has reviewed the draft concept plan and has produced a modified concept.

The changes result in a 16% reduction in the total project area from 419 Ha to 362 Ha.

South East Corner

The project boundary in the south east corner has moved to align with Willow Road. This change maintains local access from the Ararimu area to the Drury township by providing a route through the project area via Davies Road. This route will be designed so it is not attractive to commercial traffic and hence will limit the number of vehicles using Ararimu Road past the Ramarama School. In summary, this change will achieve the following:

· The removal of a number of intensely developed rural-residential properties in the Ramarama/Davies Road area from the project area;

· Allow the retention of a small spur (landform) to the south of Willow Road, which helps to physically and visually contain the project; and

· Avoid potential impacts on the Maketu Stream in this part of the basin.

Northern area

The northern part of the project area has also been reduced. In addition, the road linking the proposed spine road within the revised project area to Fitzgerald Road has moved to the east to align with an existing paper road. This will be a two lane road connecting to the existing Fitzgerald Road at approximately numbers 395 and 411 Fitzgerald Road. The reasons for these changes include:

· Removing a number of intensely developed rural-residential properties between the northern edge of the Hingaia Stream and Fitzgerald Road from the project area;

· When compared with other road alignment options, this revised alignment avoids significant earthworks in the vicinity of Fitzgerald and Brookfield Roads; and

· When compared with other possible Fitzgerald Road connection options, the revised alignment avoids the need for a further crossing of the Hingaia Stream.

MILL ROAD CORRIDOR PROJECT

Papakura Council began the consultation phase on the Mill Road Corridor Project in December 2009 with feedback closing on the 15^th February 2010. The project identified three options for a new link from Hunua/Boundary Roads in the north to Drury in the vicinity of Waihoehoe Road. The Stevenson Project Team considers that the modified concept for the Drury South project can be integrated with any of the three options Council has identified.

NEXT STEPS

The consultation process and feedback has informed the project analysis and technical studies. Our revised concept, as attached, reflects this feedback and now forms the basis of the project.

As a result of these changes we are behind our intended schedule. This is largely due to the need to complete more technical work, particularly in respect of the storm water analysis. Once all the technical analysis has been completed we will be in contact with you to inform you of our updated timeline for advancing the project.

The Drury South Business Project

Drury South Business Project – June 2010 Update

Revised Concept