Farm Parks

Surveying The Bay is fortunate to have been involved with the majority of Farm Park developments undertaken in Hawke’s Bay including:

• Hill Country Conservation Estate
• Esk Ridge Farm Park
• Matarua Farm Park
• Whakapirau Farm Park
• The River Lodges

Further details of each can be found on our projects pages.

“Farm Parks” are a form of lifestyle subdivision which integrates multiple residential sites into large rural properties. The design and consenting processes are very complex and take the approach of best land use. Planning rules require that the majority of the farm remains available for productive use. In Hawkes Bay this has meant grape and olive plantings, grazing, conservation and amenity plantings, or wetlands can become part of the development. Facilities such as tennis courts are often a key component of Farm Parks and help to create a feeling of community amongst the residents.

The high consenting and development costs mean this type of development is only economic if the resulting sites are of the highest quality and value, and we really enjoy working on Farm Parks. Attention to detail is critical, and Farm Parks often require a team of consultants from fields such as surveying, planning, engineering, archaeology, legal, landscape architecture, geotechnical, and traffic engineering. Our role has typically been to act as lead consultant working with our clients and other consultants throughout the entire process to create developments we are all extremely proud of.

Not every large rural site is suited to this type of development and any landowner considering undertaking this type of proposal should fully consider the complexities of the design, consenting and development processes, as well as the restrictions which will apply to further development.