Resource consents have been granted for a foam factory to be built at Ōhinewai in North Waikato by the Comfort Group.
Sleepyhead Beds Ohinewai Photo: An artists’ impression of the $1 Billion development planned for Ohinewai
The factory is the first stage of a $1.2 billion dollar Sleepyhead estate which will be a mix of manufacturing and residential properties.
The consents have been granted under the government's fast-tracking consenting process.
They permit the construction and operation of the factory and an adjacent rail-siding.
The factory will cover five buildings on a 38-hectare site and construction is likely to start in April 2022 and be completed in 2023.
The resource consents are separate to a Waikato District Council decision in May 2021 to rezone the 178-hectare development site .
That is being appealed by both Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and the Waikato Regional Council.