Tauranga looks unlikely to follow Hamilton's controversial decision to sell its 17 pensioner villages, despite a big upsurge in the property market.
The future of Tauranga City Council's nine pensioner villages comprising 246 flats was discussed during a confidential council briefing late last year.
Mayor Stuart Crosby said the councilwas aware of Hamilton's move to sell its pensioner-housing complexes to social housing providers. However, there was not a big appetite among councillors to move from the current policy for at least the next three years because there were more pressing issues such as stormwater.
The council in 2009 looked at selling four of the oldest villages but decided to postpone a decision until the property market had recovered from the global credit crunch. The exception was the run-down Clarke St village which was sold in 2010 to a housing trust to make way for 14 new units.
The Pitau Rd village on highly valued land in central Mount Maunganui had been top of the list to be sold, with residents of the 38 flats to go to a modern complex on cheaper land elsewhere in Tauranga. It was the oldest and largest of the council's pensioner villages which operate on a user-pays basis. Also threatened were the 12-unit Hinau St village by Blake Park and the 35-unit Shelley St-Pillans Rd village.
The council elected 15 months ago was showing less inclination to sell, even though the market was back in growth mode. Mr Crosby did not anticipate any changes to the current policy in the short term, saying the council had not bought any properties to rehouse pensioners.
A final decision on the future of the pensioner villages will be made in about three weeks as part of the council's 2015-25 long-term plan. The plan is reviewed every three years.
