Tompkins Wake assists billion-dollar development to proceed

Tuesday 21 December, 2021

Tompkins Wake is proud to have assisted Waikato District Council in reaching agreement with Waikato Regional Council, Waka Kotahi and Ambury Properties Limited (APL) to allow the billion-dollar Sleepyhead development in Ōhinewai to go ahead, subject to final approval by the Environment Court.

Waikato District Council has been in favour of the development since an independent hearing panel made a decision on 24 May 2021 to allow a submission by APL on the Proposed Waikato District Plan seeking to rezone land at Ōhinewai from rural to a mix of industrial, business and residential zones. The decision was opposed and appealed to the Environment Court by three parties in July 2021. After extensive settlement discussions between the parties over many months, Waikato District Council and APL were able to resolve all outstanding issues last week, clearing the way for consent orders to be lodged with the Environment Court in the new year.

The development will cover 178 hectares and includes plans for a 100,000-hectare main factory, a foam factory, and 1100 new homes for workers. Sleepyhead is Australasia’s biggest bedmaker and the development is estimated to create up to 2600 new jobs and bring $8.5 billion into the Waikato economy over the next 10 years.

Tompkins Wake Partner Bridget Parham, has been advising Waikato District Council since the submission was lodged by APL in 2018 and throughout the hearing and subsequent appeal process. Bridget said, “Tompkins Wake is delighted to have assisted our client in securing the future of a significant development that will be a game-changer for both the district and the wider Waikato region.”