Objectives and Vision

To ensure consolidation of residential development within existing zone boundaries in all settlements subject to the availability of infrastructure services, contiguous growth, and the constraints of the environment.

 

Overview

	Population While the population of Matamata-Piako District over the past census period (1991 – 1996) has slightly declined, the three main centres of Te Aroha, Matamata and Morrinsville have all experienced population growth.
	Buildings The number of occupied dwellings within the district has increased when compared to the negative population growth. The increase in the number of occupied dwellings indicates that new subdivisions being developed are being occupied and that housing within the district is being efficiently utilised.
	Subdivision A considerable number of new lots were created in the district over the past year, but no trend information is available yet to determine whether development is increasing or decreasing.
	Services The collection of detailed information regarding Councils services has just begun. However Council is well on the way to assessing the existing services and implementing improvements where necessary to ensure adequate capacity and service for future development. The ability to collect financial contributions to assist in the upgrade of services in response to development has only recently been introduced through the Proposed District Plan. The future use of this mechanism should ensure that services are maintained to a good quality.
	Community Perception Residents of the district are generally happy with the development of their community and the services available.

 

 

 

 

 

Residential growth in the district is an important issue given the social and recreational functions of the district and the transport and communication links with neighbouring towns. The impetus for residential growth in the District was originally generated by a history of mining at Te Aroha. The district is now nationally significant for the dairy industry.

 

Pressures

Residential growth outside of the existing urban boundaries has implications for the current and future amount of residential land zoned for development. Council will monitor the uptake of sections annually in each township to ensure there is adequate land available to meet demand and provide choice while not adversely affecting rural amenity values.

 

Key Issues

• Residential growth impacts on the use of finite and good quality soils
• The need to minimise the adverse effects created by building scale or dominance, shading, building location and site layout
• Residential development may impact on open space character of residential and rural areas. Ensuring that development is compatible in scale to surrounding activities and structure may mitigate this effect.

 

Urban encroachment and various activities, such as subdivision, use and development in the rural areas, can easily compromise the future use of the good quality land.

 

The three urban settlements are all located on good quality lands (Classifications I, II and III Land Use Inventory) The exception is the ranges behind Te Aroha which are a significant landscape feature identified for protection from urban encroachment. The placement of hardstand and structures over the ground makes future use of the soil unlikely and difficult to achieve.

 

Consolidation within existing urban boundaries is required to retain the finite rural land resource for primary productive purposes and to efficiently utilise existing services. In the case of all three urban centres, Te Aroha, Morrinsville and Matamata, there is undeveloped residentially zoned residential available, as well as greater potential for infill housing.

 

State

Population

 

In the 1986 – 1991 period the population in the Matamata– Piako District remained relatively constant, with a minor decrease between 1991 and 1996. As discussed in chapter two, this could be attributed to recent industry closure and removal of industry housing in rural areas of the district.

 

Overall demographic trends show that the projected resident population of Matamata–Piako District through to 2021 will actually decline by around 10% when compared to 1996 figures.

For the overall benefit of the District it is important for the Council to create initiatives to promote residential and industrial growth. However these initiatives must encourage growth that is consistent with the Council’s resource management strategies and visions for healthy growth within the district.

 

Building

Household growth has been significant given the limited change in population growth. Census figures indicate that in the three main towns of Te Aroha, Morrinsville and, Matamata there have been 6%, 6.6% and 7.3% increases, respectively, in the number of occupied dwellings between 1986 and 1991.

 

The population growth in the district for the 1991 to 1996 period has been –0.61 suggesting that the increase in the number of occupied dwellings is due to fewer people living in each dwelling. This has implications for the current and future amount of land zoned for residential development.

While the Waikato Region had the second lowest home ownership rate in the country in the 1996 census, the Matamata–Piako District home ownership rate was 37.7%.

 

Subdivision

The table below shows, over the past two years, 54 applications were submitted seeking to create a total of 153 residential lots. Almost half of these were in Matamata. Number of Occupied Dwellings

 

 

 

 

Services

Matamata-Piako District has undertaken various studies to determine the capacity of water and sewage treatment plants to meet forecast demand. A detailed report for each reticulated service and its capacity is due for completion by the end of 1999.

As a result of residential development in the district over 1997/98 period, $10,000 in roading contributions has been collected and $247,929 in reserve contributions. This money has been collected from developers to assist Council in providing works and services to residential communities.

 

Water

Water supplies for Matamata, Morrinsville and Te Aroha are provided by streams in the area that are either dammed (in the case of Morrinsville) or collected and stored in a reservior (in Matamata and Te Aroha). These systems have recently been investigated recommendations made for improvement. Council is currently considering these recommendations.

 

 

 

 

Sewerage

Investigations have recently been undertaken on sewerage treatment and disposal facilities in Morrinsville, Matamata and Te Aroha. It has been recommended that the Morrinsville system have a significant upgrade and the Te Aroha system have minor works. The Matamata system is working well and has significant capacity left to cater for future growth.

Stormwater

Stormwater disposal has traditionally been runoff into the nearest stream or gully system or into individual property soakholes. Runoff into gullies and streams is no longer acceptable with today’s environmental standards and the continued use of soakholes should be investigated if water supplies are from underground aquifers and bores. Stormwater collection, treatment and disposal need to be addressed in all three urban centres. Studies have been undertaken into the issue of stormwater disposal and options are being considered.

 

Community Perceptions

The residential growth of a town is strongly linked to how attractive it is seen to be by the community, and also the facilities it provides like schools, shopping, employment, recreation, etc. In a 1998 survey, 61% of those surveyed in the Matamata-Piako District considered that their local township or community had become either “a little”, or “much more” attractive.

 

Response

Council continues to monitor growth rates and in particular population, numbers of new households and labour force growth forecasts to ensure that enough land is available for residential growth and that new growth can be adequately serviced.

What Can You do to Help?

Support and encourage residential development in line with the Council's resource management policies

 

 

 

Case Study

Holmwood Park Subdivision, Morrinsville

 

Holmwood Park Subdivision is an example of a recent residential subdivision in the Matamata-Piako District. The subdivision proposal by Thornton Estates Limited was to subdivide a 15.9874 ha property located on the northern side of Thames Street (State Highway 26), Morrinsvillle into 88 residential lots, local purpose reserves (for access, drainage and segregation strips), esplanade reserve and road. One of the unique features of the proposal was development of a ‘water feature’ to be located within the esplanade reserve. This water feature has been designed to collect stormwater from the development prior to it being discharged into the river.

 

The 88 residential lots ranged in sizes from 750m² to 6,800m² and met the subdivision standards for residential lots in the proposed District Plan in terms of minimum area, frontage and building envelope/shape factor.

 

In assessing the application for its suitability, the potential adverse effects of the development were identified as:

• Difficult access onto SH26 and or future access to Seales Road
• Restriction on access and parking to the esplanade reserve created along the Piako River bank
• Increased traffic noise for neighbours

By modifying the design and incorporating conditions into the resource consent these potential effects have been reduced, avoided or mitigated to the satisfaction of all parties. Changes to the development included:

• Seal widening of State highway 26 to improve safety and access into and out of the subdivision
• Installation of a closed boarded fence to reduce noise effects from the State highway on lots abutting the highway and planting to screen the visual impact of the fence.
• Development of the esplanade reserve with walkways, planting, lighting, picnic tables and parking at the end of the cul-de-sac access into the reserve.
• Development of a walkway and cycle lane to Seales Road to improve safety for pedestrian and cyclists and school children.

 

Instead of Council imposing financial contributions on the developer to finance infrastructure and reserves, the works were incorporated into the development as part of the consent granted. This ensured that works were completed as part of the whole development and not at a later date.

 

The way in which this development for residential subdivision has occurred has been successful for both the developer and the Council. It has resulted in achieving a quality subdivision in Morrinsville, while enhancing the riparian margins of the Piako River bank and its environment through the creation of an esplanade reserve that will be enjoyed by the public