Napier and Hastings should consider building up rather than out if the Heretaunga Plains are to be preserved, Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce chief executive Wayne Walford says.
Hastings District Council says the plains' soils are the powerhouse of the district's economy and its District Plan is designed to guard them from encroachment.
At the same time both Hastings District and Napier City councils are under pressure to make more land available for housing developments.
"We need to be cognisant of the productive soil that we have and I think it is probably time to take stock of spatial/social planning and have a look and see where we can intensify because, in some areas, we could probably go up two or three levels," he said
He said the needs of the population should be addressed alongside local heritage.