The New Zealand bed manufacturer Sleepyhead plans to move its factory out of Auckland. The plan involves building a 100,000 square meter factory and 1100 affordable homes in northern Waikato.
While many in the community welcome the billion-dollar investment, the Waikato Regional Council has several concerns. The two parties will enter into meditation.
In New Zealand, Regional Councils play an active role in environmental protection, while district and city councils place a greater emphasis on economic development.
The Waikato Regional Council has lodged an Environment Court appeal over four key aspects of the development: management of flood risks, public transport and car dependency, accessibility and urban form (connections between the development and the Ōhinewai settlement), and water and wastewater connections. Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency, has appealed to the court, as has Sleepyhead themselves through its property company Ambury Properties Ltd.
Waikato Regional Council chairman Russ Rimmington defended the council’s appeal to improve the Sleepyhead site and protect “the future of Waikato”. “It’s important we don’t take ad hoc development, that we ensure the urban plan and urban design is adhered to, and we give it some credence in the decisions that we make.”
The mediation process is expected to take several months.
