Addressing Future Marina and Homestead

Addressing Future Marina and Homestead

Since the Open Day we have received concerns about the future marina and Hobbs Bay Homestead that we would like to address within the following statement.

At the initial consultation with residents, we sought support to gain resource consent for the Hobbs Homestead to operate as a café/restaurant. This would give us the option to convert the Homestead at a later stage. Not being café operators ourselves, we have yet to test the viability of providing a café in a heritage building. A café within the Homestead remains our preference, and we are committed to achieving an outcome that benefits our property buyers and the surrounding community. Many factors affect the sustainability and viability of a successful café/restaurant which we are currently navigating, and we welcome conversations with experienced restaurateurs interested in investing in a café in this beautiful location.

When the first stage of the Hobbs Bay development is complete there will be public access to the beach, and as we continue to progress with the proposed Marina, it stands to offer additional public facilities such as a boat ramp, additional retail and an improved, more usable beach. We believe the proposed Marina is essential to address the need within the Waitemata Harbour for additional wet berths and a much-needed public boat ramp. Our experience in providing quality marine environments with multipurpose use is evident in our Waterways developments, such as Marsden Cove, comprising a 230-berth marina and residential canal development, integrating multiple public man-made beaches. We will apply the same principals at Hobbs Bay Estate as we do at our Waterways developments, which is to provide a clean and safe water environment, encouraging swimming and water sport activity.

At the Open Day, we received enthusiastic encouragement from many visitors about the future marina. We believe it is our responsibility as experienced marine developers to provide these types of amenities to a community where there is a need. We hope this response addresses any concerns and assures the community that we are dedicated to provide a quality outcome in the Hobbs Bay development, as we do in all our projects.

The Team at Hopper Developments