'Attractive entry' for reserve: Council to buy land at Te Awanga?

The development site is located near the Welcome to Te Awanga sign. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hastings District Council plans to buy a section of land near the entry to Te Awanga in a move which will prevent development on the site and provide "an attractive entry" to the village.

The council will meet on Thursday and decide whether to buy a 1200m2 piece of subdivided land facing Clifton Rd - the main road into the village.

The section is located near the Welcome to Te Awanga sign and council has plans to turn it into a community reserve.

The section is part of the wider Te Awanga Terraces housing development which includes 45 lots soon to go to the market.

A Hastings District councillor told Hawke's Bay Today a decision in the Environment Court in 2016 meant the council had to purchase one of the lots to build a community reserve, and the community had been consulted about the best lot to buy.

The council is eyeing lot 1 which is the only lot on the development site that directly fronts Clifton Rd.

The council proposes to set aside a maximum of $900,000 for the project which includes $300,000 for a big upgrade to the Te Awanga Domain playground.

The playground at Te Awanga Domain is set for a major upgrade. Photo / Warren Buckland

"(Residents) suggested council acquire the front lot (lot 1) as a reserve that could help reduce the visual impact on the entrance into Te Awanga township," council papers revealed.

"It wouldn't provide a particularly useful recreation space due to its sloping nature.

"It could however be landscaped to provide an attractive entry point to the township which could create an attractive reserve that would provide a restive park setting."

Hastings councillor Ann Redstone said the council had put options to the community to see what they wanted to do.

She said rather than buy a lot and build a small playground, the community feedback had been to upgrade the existing Te Awanga Domain playground and purchase lot 1 as a reserve.

"That is why we went out to the community and they said loud and clear this is what they want to do."

She said the council planned to do some landscaping work to reshape the front section of the lot.

If council endorses the recommendation on Thursday, the section of land will be purchased and community engagement on the design of the nearby Te Awanga Domain playground upgrades will begin.

The developer also has plans to install a tennis court, half basketball court and cricket nets at Te Awanga Terraces.