Harrison Grierson values the privilege of helping to create an exciting new part of Tauranga, providing housing, community and recreational facilities.
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Kāinga Ora’s development of the 95-hectare farm is expected to deliver over 1000 homes in the coming years. Unlocking this large parcel of greenfield land for housing and urban development, will increase affordable housing supply and deliver quality housing and other community outcomes for Aotearoa, New Zealand’s fifth largest city.
This fulfills a key objective of the Kāinga Ora Land Programme to increase the supply of build-ready land for housing and urban development. The Programme also aims to increase the pace, scale, and density of housing development and to increase the proportion and range of homes that are affordable for low-to-moderate income households to rent or own.
Ferncliffe Farm is in the Tauriko West Urban Growth Area which is one of five priority development areas in the Tauranga/Western Bay of Plenty subregion under the SmartGrowth urban growth partnership. It’s close to a major retail centre at Tauranga Crossing and to the Tauriko Business Estate, employing 5000 people, both of which are just minutes away.
Our services
Harrison Grierson was engaged by Kāinga Ora in 2022 to provide civil engineering and water resources engineering inputs to the Ferncliffe Masterplan.
We prepared a concept earthworks design for the plateau areas
An infrastructure services report, including inputs to road cross-sections
A Stormwater Management Plan (including hydraulic modelling and stormwater design philosophy)
And construction cost estimates.
We also worked closely with Kainga Ora and other consultants responsible for urban design, transport and geotechnical inputs.
Challenges
Ferncliffe Farm has approximately 34 hectares of developable plateau with the remaining 61 hectares made up of steep escarpments and low-lying areas including wetlands and riparian areas.
The challenges included designing the earthworks to create a landform that maximised the developable area. This included the opportunity for future development of medium-high density comprehensive housing typologies. We also had to design the landform in alignment with a low impact stormwater philosophy. This included the creation of suitable stormwater sub-catchments and overland flow paths having regard to the steep escarpment topography and the need to safely convey water to the sensitive gully floor.
Outcomes
The final masterplan provides for 1150 homes, of which 20% is to be delivered as public homes, 20% as affordable homes and 60% market homes. A total of 33 superlots are proposed to be developed into apartments and terraced houses to an average nett density of 50 dwellings per hectare. The remaining low-lying areas will comprise reserve areas that will form part of a wider environmental enhancement project.
The Ferncliffe project, and the wider Tauriko West growth area, will be developed in stages to reflect proposed infrastructure upgrading, including a proposed major State highway realignment with grade separated intersections.
HG values the privilege of helping to create an exciting new part of Tauranga, providing housing, community and recreational facilities. Our work recognises the cultural importance of the Wairoa River corridor and protecting and enhancing wetlands and associated natural biodiversity.
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