Henderson Valley/Opanuku Local Area Plan ... - Auckland Council

LPMA 4.Pleasant ValleyHenderson Valley Rd, a number of parcels covering 54Ha, with existing potential for 9 sites @ 4Ha.The site includes the Pleasant Valley Winery building and a number of pastoral and vineyardblocks, as well as recently subdivided 4 Ha blocks which remain in family ownership. This is theremaining landholding of the once extensive Pleasant Valley Wines landholdings; originallypurchased by Stephan Yelas in the late 19 th century and initially used for gumdigging. The winerywas then established some years later in 1902 and is now the oldest continually operating inWaitakere. The winery is still run by the Yelas family, and is the third largest wine bottler by volumein the Auckland Region, contract bottling for other wineries using grapes from all over New Zealand,and the Foothills, including the famous home block Pinotage.The site is rolling and generally denuded of native and riparian vegetation on the Vela and AnamataStreams that run though the property and form its southern boundary, though there are some largeareas of reverting weedy bush particularly towards the rear of the property. There are a number oflarge specimen and ‘firewood’ trees over the property, and numerous shelterbelts. The sites layoutis generally ‘humped’, with flat areas close to the road rising to a low hill and then falling away to theAnamata on the rear boundary, meaning a large proportion of the site is visible from HendersonValley Road and the remainder viewed from the more distant Forest Hill Road.Retention of the productive potential of the site including the winery buildings and vineyards is a keyfeature that should be protected and enhanced, along with riparian revegetation and weedmanagement. Retention of the shelterbelts and specimen trees as well as vineyards would alsoassist in absorbing any new development into its relatively open viticultural/rural setting.The Foothills Walkway Concept notes the potential for a walking connection through the site(dependent of a further connection from Forest hill road to the site boundary), though a number ofoptions will be further investigated through a future feasibility study.A future subdivision arrangement enabling the retention of the productive potential and heritageviticulture setting is preferred, such as smaller residential blocks (or building sites with a sharedownership arrangement of the central vineyard area) clustered around the edges, with a largeparent block or similar. Ongoing management and productive use of the large central vineyard &winery complex would need to be confirmed with the owners, and any chosen lot arrangement willbe subject to further discussion.Other sites with existing subdivision potential:There are a number of sites with limited potential for further subdivision (properties with potential for1 or 2 new sites, outside of the identified LPMA’s) in Henderson Valley/Opanuku. The futuresubdivision of these sites can be effectively managed by utilising the existing District Planprovisions.It is the large sites with multiple new sites and a range of heritage features across large areas thatrequire a more flexible and responsive approach than that contemplated by the existing District Planrules that apply.Implementation:The District Plan already contains the LPMA provision, which to date has been applied to four largeproperties in the city 24 under single ownership. Under this approach, each property’s unique issuesand opportunities are considered, in order to provide for improved outcomes. For example, the“Waiatarua Parklands” LPMA (now Bendalls Lane) focussed on provision of a more sustainablecluster type subdivision pattern with a shared effluent disposal system, that would not have beenpossible under the general rules applying to that site.24 Of the four properties where the LPMA approach has been applied, one is at Waiatarua Parklands (nowBendalls Lane), and the remaining three on large extended family holdings at Bethells Beach/Te Henga.Page 59 of 65