Tony Coutts
Waipā District Council staff talked about the vision applied in establishing one of the region’s booming industrial estates – but the major issue for some last week was a roundabout.
About 60 business leaders gathered last Wednesday for a briefing on the new Hautapu industrial precinct zone from Tony Coutts and Wayne Allan.
The gathering at the Hannon Rd home of C and R Developments was organised by the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce.
Liz Stolwyk
Deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk represented the council’s elected arm on an evening when mayor Susan O’Regan released a statement announcing the proposed third bridge route through Cambridge had been shelved.
Chamber chief Kelly Bouzaid said recent plan changes and notable developments were seeing a transformative shift in neighbouring areas occupied by APL Manufacturing, Hautapu Rugby Club, Pacific Medical Hub and included the design and the build of two roundabouts.
Wayne Allan – a manager who has been at the council since 1989 – said the Hautapu site became popular once the Waikato Expressway went by Cambridge, and he had been confident of the opportunity for development there since 2015.
Wayne Allan
“All of a sudden everyone wanted to be here – but we had challenge, for example the [Hautapu] cemetery.”
Successful lobbying for a northern interchange at Hautapu had been a primary factor in the eventual growth.
The move to change zones and open up 55 hectares of land in the area for development and the growth have been quicker than expected.
The “industrial enclave” was supercharged by the arrival of APL. The company’s 44,000 square metre factory produces hardware for windows and doors, and glassware.
Allan spoke of the planning undertaken by the council for Cambridge, which had included enabling more commercial activity on Carter’s Flat.
He noted dovetailing into the plans, Hamilton’s Southern Links plan was at a stage where funding was being looked at and at Piarere work had started on a roundabout which would eventually take traffic from an extended Waikato Expressway.
Kelly Bouzaid
Tony Coutts, the council’s principal engineer, growth, discussed the extensive infrastructure work planned – a pump station had already been built – and there was provisions for “pocket parks for recreation.
It was when he talked through the major roundabout on Victoria Rd, including the provision for heavy haulage vehicles to mount the kerb, that he was interrupted.
C and R director Mike Ross lamented that his company has spent $1.1 million to develop a special trailer and of the new roundabout… “it won’t even look at that” .
After the presentation further discussions were held on the design of the roundabout, Bouzaid told The News.
They delved into detail with the council, which is in the process of refining the design to enhance clarity on tracking and pavement details.
“The Chamber was delighted to enable the information exchange and foster connections among stakeholders, ultimately contributing to a favourable outcome,” she said.
Tony Coutts goes through the stages of the Hautapu development last week.
