Developer Simon Tremain (left) alongside former Flaxmere ward councillor Henare O'Keefe (right) at the site. Photo / Supplied
Developer Simon Tremain (left) alongside former Flaxmere ward councillor Henare O'Keefe (right) at the site. Photo / Supplied
Plans have been revealed for more than 500 new homes to be built as an expansion to Flaxmere.
A newly-formed development group has announced the plans to expand the fast-growing Hastings suburb even further, by developing a 36ha property at 301 Portsmouth Rd.
Maven Collective, which owns thatproperty, is behind the plans and says the section has capacity for between 500 and 800 homes.
Maven Collective includes four directors including businessmen Simon Tremain and Graham Turley, business commentator Cameron Bagrie, and horticulturalist Mark Ericksen.
The property is largely vacant and has been included in the draft Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy which means it has been identified for future housing, marking a first step for the project.
The developer plans to lodge a resource consent application in 2025 with Hastings District Council as a next step.
Pending consent, Maven Collective spokesman Tremain said the development could get under way as early as 2026.
“We believe that we can offer reasonably-priced sections as there is already existing council water and roading infrastructure as well as electricity on Portsmouth Rd,” he said.
“We have intentionally put this land forward so that we can bring to market quality sections, which in turn enables working whānau to become homeowners.”
The proposed development site on Portsmouth Rd (FM2 on the map). Photo / HDC
Maven Collective plans to subdivide the property and build most, if not all, of the homes. Tremain said it would be developed in stages and include a range of house sizes.
Save Our Plains spokesman Richard Gaddum said he visited the proposed development site on Portsmouth Rd and “we are all for it”.
The group advocates for protecting fertile growing soil from large developments around the wider Napier and Hastings area.
“The soil is not that great out there,” Gaddum said.
“We thought it was a great spot - a good spot for a subdivision - so we have been championing that along with the council since then and they have included it in the draft FDS.”
The development site which is largely vacant. Photo / Google Maps
Three councils (Napier, Hastings and HBRC), working alongside iwi, made a “call for opportunities” to identify potential growth areas in its draft Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy (FDS).
The Portsmouth Rd site was considered and has now been included in that draft FDS.
The FDS document is an important tool for councils including to help guide decisions to approve (or decline) developments, and will replace the long-standing Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy.
The draft FDS will go out for public consultation later this month and could undergo changes before being adopted.
“We have a growing region with our population projected to rise from around 160,000 to nearly 200,000 across Hastings and Napier, by 2053,” Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said, of the draft FDS.
“To manage this growth, we need to balance housing and industrial land demand with timely investment in infrastructure.
“But importantly through this process, we need to protect our valuable fertile growing soils which contribute close to $1 billion to our region’s economy.”
While Save Our Plains is comfortable with the Portsmouth Rd development, the group is unhappy with other locations included in the draft FDS, some of which they believe will infringe on fertile land.
Former Flaxmere ward councillor and Hastings Ambassador Henare O’Keefe said he supported more affordable housing for Flaxmere, proposed for Portsmouth Rd.
“This is further evidence that Paharakeke [Flaxmere] is on the rise, as a great place to call home.”
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
