Ahurareka Estate, Beachlands, Auckland, NZ

The project is a vigorous response to the effect of existing planning rules losing valuable productive land and natural landscape to large-lot residential lifestyle properties in peri-urban areas. Key to the design is a comprehensive land use analysis and mapping process that identified an Ecological Preserve and an Agricultural Estate sufficient to be able to create and operate within internal and local economies. The Village itself is fitted along the weakest marginal zone as a way of protecting the Preserve against future land-use changes and provide maximum natural amenity for residents.

Being decapitalised by the Village development, the self-funding, mixed farming operation is the best way of protecting and strengthening natural and landscape values on the productive land. The internal economy created by the village at this scale is sufficient to support the farm and allow best environmental practice. With surplus production, the farm is then free to develop local markets to the benefit of the surrounding area as well as to the property as a whole.

This development has influenced a changing planning position of allowing appropriate development in peri-urban environments by demonstrating qualitative and quantitative environmental and economic benefit to the community.