An application to subdivide land at New Chum Beach in Whangapoua has been lodged with the Thames Coromandel District Council this week.

Submitted by Ross and Deidre Mear, the application is for a four lot subdivision, all 15 hectares in size, together with a fifth 'beach conservation lot” 1.2ha in size and would allow for public access.

The TCDC has received a new application for a subdivision in New Chums Beach, Whangapoua. Photo: Pseudopanax@Wikimedia

It is the same piece of land on which a previous application was lodged by Coastal Land Trust Holdings back in January this year.

The trust's application is on hold due to further information being sought from the applicant and they are aware the Mears have lodged a new application.

Mayor Glenn Leach says due to significant public interest TCDC wants the application go out for formal public notification, which the applicants are much in favour of.

'Our stance continues to be protecting and preserving third party interests.

'We want New Chum to continue to be somewhere anyone can visit, while still protecting its special and unique character.”

The four proposed residential lots in the Mears' application allows for four house sites, up to 236m2 each with garages, and five accessory buildings up to 100m2.

Vehicle access to the proposed new residential lots would be through the existing farm track running from Te Punga Station.

The remaining land, approximately 55ha, would be retired from active farming and established with either existing indigenous vegetation or allowed to regenerate naturally.

There would be some areas where landscape planting would be introduced to screen building sites and vehicle access ways from off-site public viewpoints.

Their application also proposes a charitable trust known as the ‘Wainuiototo Beach Conservation Trust' be formed to own and manage this beach lot.

This trust would consist of two representatives of the owners of Lot 1-4, plus three community representatives drawn from the TCDC, Waikato Regional Council, Department of Conservation and local iwi.

Glenn says the TCDC has had no discussions with the Mears about forming a trust but he would like to see a natural buffer zone between the development and the beach.

This zone would run the full length of the beach and would include the building of public toilets and a walkway in the vicinity, says Glenn.

'The applicant has requested that the application be publicly notified and this will likely occur before the end of the year.”

To read the latest application for a subdivision at New Chum Beach click here.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

Oct 2014
Ross and Deidre Mear submit a new application to subdivide New Chum Wainuiototo Bay Whangapoua.

Jan 2014
Coastal Land Trust Holdings puts its latest application on hold.

Dec 2013
Coastal Land Trust Holdings submits a modified resource consent. This is for the creation of three lots and one conservation lot, along with a boundary relocation. The application is also for a house on each of three lots.

Aug/Sept 2012
Coastal Land Trust Holdings withdraws its amended application.

Early 2012
Coastal Land Trust Holdings submits an amended application reduced to 12 lots consisting of 2 large rural lots and 10 rural residential lots ranging in size from 1500m2 to 126ha. The eight sites removed from the application sat within the Wainuiototo (New Chum) catchment. The 12 sites being proposed (for the construction of 11 additional dwellings) are on Te Pungapunga Station, Te Punga Road (Quarry Road). This is within the Whangapoua drainage catchment.

2010
In 2010 developers, Coastal Land Trust Holdings applies for consent to allow the land behind New Chum beach to be subdivided into 21 sections which includes 20 residential rural lots ranging in size from 1,520m2 to 23,043m2.