Boost for Special Housing plan

"The council said developments did not need to be for low-cost or affordable housing to be a Special Housing Area."

Nearly 300 houses in Ohauiti and Bethlehem have been added to an impending development boom spurred by the Government's Housing Accord legislation.

It brings the number of houses the council was considering fast-tracking under the new laws to 2265 - enough to accommodate at least 5200 people.

More special housing areas were expected to be unveiled by Tauranga City Council by the end of the year.

Last week's announcement of the latest proposed special housing areas comes shortly before the council was expected to sign off on the first area in a former camping ground off Waihi Rd. Staff have recommended supporting the application to the Government for 31 semi-detached duplex units.

The latest applications to the council included a 180-house subdivision on 14 hectares of Ohauiti orchards off the end of Alder Drive, opposite Boscabel. If the council supported the application, it would usher in housing for more than 400 people. Average section sizes would be 500 sq m.

The council said developments did not need to be for low-cost or affordable housing to be a Special Housing Area.

Details of the proposed subdivision showed 8ha was in the Ohauiti Urban Growth Area, with the rest zoned for urban growth after 2021.

The legislation meant the timing to develop the 8ha block could be fast-tracked provided the infrastructure could cope. The other 12.5ha site off Bethlehem Rd would deliver 118 houses costing $360,000 to $500,000. Average section size would be 420 sq m.

The block closest to Bethlehem Rd was zoned for residential development, with the majority of the land zoned for rural/residential development.