Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, March 7, 2023
Peacocke is one of Hamilton’s largest greenfield areas and the third area to be developed after Rototuna and Rotokauri. The brand-new neighbourhood in Hamilton’s southwest, a decade in the making, is being vouched for as a model for city planning, cutting-edge urban design and environmental resilience by the Hamilton City Council.
The hearings panel released their decision last week (March 1, 2023) on the structure plan for the 740-hectare Peacocke neighbourhood which will eventually be home to nearly 20,000 people.
The plan sets out how the Peacocke area will be developed, guiding housing style and density, transport connections and community spaces, as well as determining how the cultural heritage and natural environment of the area will be protected.
Hamilton City Council’s City Planning Manager Dr Mark Davey said in a media statement that this is the gold standard for how to plan new neighbourhoods in the country.
“This will be a New Zealand-leading exemplar of a well-planned, resilient community that enhances the natural environment while still providing for higher-density housing near the central city. Peacocke represents best practice in urban design and ecological outcomes.”
Measures for changing climate conditions
Dr Davey said the need for environmentally resilient urban development is getting a lot of airtime right now. He said, “It is important that we can respond to the changing climate and more intense rainfall events. Part of our plans is making sure we are managing our stormwater right through wetlands and enough green spaces to provide drainage. Peacocke will be set up from the beginning to deal with some of the climate challenges the country is facing.”
Some of the requirements for building houses in the area include 50m buffer zones along the Waikato River, major gullies and known bat roost sites. It also identifies areas where bats might fly from one habitat to another, for protection from light and other impacts of housing. These areas will be restored through hundreds of hectares of native plantings, weed control and pest and predator control.
Striking a balance
Dr Davey said the purpose of these planning provisions is to enable high-quality urban development which at the same time restores and enhances the natural environment.
“This plan has always been about striking the right balance between providing more housing and protecting those parts that make our city special – like the gully network and our native bats. Living in Peacocke alongside and nearby these huge ecological corridors will be a very special experience for future residents. It will be like living in an urban forest,” he said.
“This is already Council’s biggest ever investment in the environment, when you add work that private developers will do as part of their subdivisions – the benefit for our native bats, trees, birdlife and the Waikato river will be incredible.”
Dr Davey noted that much of this work was already underway as part of the construction of the Southern Links transport network and the council is already delivering many of the enabling pieces of infrastructure in this plan through the construction of a new river bridge and arterial roads that run through Peacocke. These are projected for completion in late 2023, in time for housing development to get underway.
Under the Resource Management Act 1991, submitters can lodge an appeal to the Environment Court within 30 working days. If no appeals are lodged, the plan becomes operative.
To learn more about Peacocke area development, Watch the video here.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
