Auckland-based Mangawhai Central Ltd has applied to Kaipara District Council for a Private Plan change to develop about 130 hectares of former sheep and beef grazing land between Mangawhai Village and Mangawhai Heads. It's believed the number of submissions from a small town like Mangawhai towards a proposed development of this nature is unprecedented in Northland. The independent commissioners have asked the council and Mangawhai Central Ltd to provide further information and will get together early next year to assess it. The site is subject to the council's Estuary Estates Structure Plan that caps residential house numbers to 500 — provisions Mangawhai Central Ltd felt were overly restrictive. He said Mangawhai Central Ltd's application did not reflect the area's attraction as a seaside town, its eclectic mix of housing types, and generally low-density housing.

Source: New Zealand Herald November 29, 2020 16:07 UTC