Our View: Mount a jewel worth keeping

The issue of our growing pains is for the second day in a row in the public eye - and this time it's Mount Maunganui's beach strip.
Tauranga City Council has tightened planning laws so developers can't turn the area into the Bay's version of Surfers Paradise.
The council will not allow any more high rises over 9m outside the zone which runs along both sides of Maunganui Rd, from Adams Ave to Commons Ave.
Today's news comes after this paper yesterday reported that a chunk of The Strand is to be revamped with landmark buildings knocked down and making way for a new six-storey office and retail development.
This city development, if given resource consent, will give a modern feel to the downtown Strand area and is in the CBD where taller buildings are more acceptable.
The Mount Maunganui decision comes after concern among residents and it will be a popular one.
The prime slice of land that makes up the hub of Mount Maunganui is one of the Bay's jewels and it is important to get the right look and feel.
Over the years, high-rise apartment towers have sprung up, changing the landscape.
But this area is already congested - making the issue a controversial one.
The Sandy Walkers group has been fighting to preserve as much as possible the natural look of our coastline and the council's latest move follows an earlier Environment Court appeal decision which rejected a big dune-top development on Papamoa Beach Rd.
It needs to be acknowledged that development is important for the Bay.
It is critical we grow and ensure the region looks modern and is capable of handling the massive projected growth, given Tauranga's population is expected to grow a third by 2031.
This means land has to be developed and more housing built. And sometimes we might have to go up rather than sideways.
But sometimes the line has to be drawn. The council has quite rightly made it clear it wants to keep our skyline as low as possible.
Marine Parade has its own identity and is already developed enough towards the Mauao end. It is critical we protect the Mount, Papamoa and further down the coast.
This stretch is not the CBD. The Mount is already referred to as a mini Surfers Paradise but we don't want it to become the real thing. This decision is a sensible one.
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