Good news for North Waikato courtesy of one of Australasia's biggest bed companies.
The Comfort Group which owns Sleepyhead and several other brands will be building a factory near Ohinewai.
The company will also be building affordable housing near the factory for the use of its employees.
Te Waka chairman Dallas Fisher says the development will benefit the whole region.
“We’re talking about not just building houses for people, but building factories, building communities, building communities.”
Waikato District mayor Alan Sanson told Heather du Plessis-Allan he has been working on the project for 12 months and is pleased that it has finally been announced.
He says that infrastructure work going on in the area will help with the funding necessary to build the small town.
"The big one is waste water and the water. They don't require a huge amount of water for the factory, but definitely when we get to the housing situation."
He does not currently know how much the plan will cost, but they hope it will be cost neutral to ratepayers.
Sanson is confident that Sleepyhead will remain in the area for a long time, and won't leave the town bankrupt should they move on. He says there will be other employers in that location as well.
"This is not just about a Sleepyhead. The industrial area is 36 hectares which they will look to other businesses that may or may not have already indicated they will come with them."
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you
