Last October, the Dominion Post reported on a proposed 1,700-home village in north-central Waikanae, whose development was stymied by the Kapiti Expressway, but has been redesigned as a cluster of smaller villages:-

“Maypole Environmental spent five years planning and designing the village, north of the town, to include shops, a health centre, preschool and primary school.

“Commissioners gave the 280-hectare environmentally friendly development the green light in 2011, but the announcement of the expressway, running through the middle of the block, left Maypole director Jonathan Smith grappling with what to do.” Read the rest

This is the type of proposal which needs to be given rigorous scrutiny, and frankly we have very strong concerns about it.

Let there be no doubt that profits is the prime motivating force behind it, as it will be in any property development, and the figure of 1,700 houses (not to mention commercial premises) is actually equal to about a third of the total existing houses in Waikanae, so the scale of this is huge.  And we should not be misled or soothed by the “eco” bit which this company includes in its propaganda.

What impact would all this have on infrastructure needs (particularly roads, water and sewerage), congestion, noise and the character of the community?  Who are the backers of this business?

The company’s website is here