Bethlehem is considered a premium suburb of Tauranga and not all are pleased at plans to build affordable housing at the nearby Parau Farms. Photo / George Novak
Bethlehem is considered a premium suburb of Tauranga and not all are pleased at plans to build affordable housing at the nearby Parau Farms. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga residents living near an area considered for critical future housing say their homes could devalue and crime increase if such plans go ahead.
The comments come as Tauranga City Council considers feedback to a proposal to develop the Parau Farms site into affordable housing in a bid to help address the city's housing crisis.
The council-owned land is located near Wairoa River, south of State Highway 2, in Bethlehem and is an active reserve. Under the proposal, about 22.4 hectares would transform into housing while an additional 10.9ha would remain suitable for reserves.
On Tuesday, the council will gather in its first meeting of 2022 to discuss the 158 submissions, including 106 opposed to the move.
The land, which falls in the rohe of Ngāti Ranginui iwi and hapū Ngāti Kahu, was bought by the council in the early 2000s for the purposes of future sports field provision. For now, it hosts an orchard and annual grazing but has the potential to provide up to seven sports fields.
An aerial view of the Parau Farms land at the centre of the proposal. Image / Tauranga City Council
In a report to the council, city and infrastructure planning manager Andy Mead said Ngāti Kahu expressed concern due to the cultural and ancestral significance of the area, wanting to protect the wāhi tapu (sacredness) that could be affected.
The hapū was still working on its feedback which was expected at a future date.
However, key concerns such as the loss of green space, impact on infrastructure and inability to remove future tenants have already surfaced.
In submissions to the council, Antony and Brenda Clere said they bought their nearby property on the understanding sports fields may be developed in the future. Having Kāinga Ora involved was of "great concern" as Bethlehem was a premium suburb and should remain one, they said.
Mike Baker also opposed, saying the land was bought by ratepayers for the exclusive use of sports recreation and Bethlehem was already lacking in community parks and facilities.
"Once land is gone for housing, it can never be replaced and surely one of the reasons for purchasing this land in the first place was that it could be surrounded by houses but not necessarily covered in houses."
Michele Hulme raised several issues including the potential effect on her land, quality of the potential future builds, and the social housing aspect.
"High numbers of state homes built in one location can lead to poor living conditions, higher crime rates, ghetto conditions and neighbourhood disturbance."
Environmental advocate Mary Dillon said Parau Farms was "probably the most prime piece of land in Bethlehem" and greenspace should be considered highly-prized infrastructure of any city.
"It appears that the sole reason that this property is being considered for housing is because council cannot meet its view on how land should be provided for future housing needs in line with Government future requirements. Seems to me to be a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul?"
But there was support - mostly conditional.
Local residents Greg and Kim Nock said the land was suitable for development for a variety of houses; affordable and upmarket.
"However, we 100 per cent do not agree with Kāinga Ora purchasing this land and having full control. Mainly due to their policy which currently does not evict tenants that do not look after their homes or are disruptive to neighbours and can bring violence and an unsafe and threatening environment to those in the area.
"We are aware not all people in Kāinga Ora housing fit the more extreme category of people we are talking about however it is becoming a bigger problem as we are very aware of these issues due to working in the industry."
Richard Griffiths said the city needed housing but if the land was sold so it could be "snapped up by investors" then he withdrew his support.
Norman Wilcox said Tauranga was in "desperate need for houses, not nice-to-have projects" and Chloe Dawson said she would like to see the homes made available for first-home buyers "and not a property developer selling them up to get rich".
Ministry of Education remained neutral on its position but estimated a potential population increase of up to 150 primary students and 80 college students, prompting a potential rezoning. It also highlighted "existing capacity constraints" in the area already.
Bethlehem School also remained neutral.
Sport Bay of Plenty chief executive Heidi Lichtwark said the charitable trust strongly advocated for any existing green space to remain because once it was removed, it could not be regained.
"We acknowledge there is a current shortage of available housing, however we would urge the council to consider other locations. There is a shortage of sport, recreation and play infrastructure in this part of town and this would significantly improve access and opportunities for those living in this area."
Lichtwark said local residents already travelled to Fergusson Park, Waipuna Park and Blake Park and there was "very few" other sites that offered the same recreational potential as Parau Farms.
Forest and Bird's Darren van Hoof reminded the council of its commitments to climate change and biodiversity and wanted the land to continue providing greenspace for the cultural, social and environmental wellbeing of the community.
Kainga Tupu: Growing Homes Strategy, a partnership group set up to help address and prevent homelessness, said the plans provided a "great opportunity" for achieving mixed housing outcomes.
Kāinga Ora is one of the members of the Kainga Tupu Taskforce.
Classic Group director Peter Cooney commended the decision as a "proactive approach to the acute need for housing" in Tauranga and called for Parau Farms as well as Smiths Farm to be released for development. Sports fields could be located elsewhere, he said.
Classic Group includes Classic Developments and Classic Builders, the latter being the largest residential building in Tauranga and second largest in New Zealand.
In September 2021, Tauranga City Council confirmed it could not meet the National Policy Statement for urban development - signalling a desperate housing shortfall described at the time as a crisis.
In October 2021, Tauranga City Council council general manager of strategy and growth Christine Jones told a council meeting it had been working informally with Kāinga Ora as a potential partner to the project. A Memorandum of Understand was being developed between Kāinga Ora , Ngāti Kahu hapū and the council.
On Tuesday the council will consider whether to continue to engage with mana whenua about the plans and once feedback has been received, another report on whether the plans will go ahead is expected.
Against - Need to understand how/where sports fields will be provided - Concern regarding impact of loss of green space on local amenity - Existing infrastructure/roading/local services already at capacity - City, and particularly Bethlehem, needs sports/recreational space as much as housing - Concern regarding type of development and residents.
In support - City needs both housing and sports/recreational space - Looking for intensification and mix of housing opportunities, including green space - Well located site, close to schools and shops - Ensure cultural areas protected/enhanced in any development.
Neutral - Need for both housing and sports/recreational space - How commitment to biodiversity, climate change and future growth will be delivered on - Work with schools and Ministry of Education to manage potential roll growth.
