Rotorua reserves sell off proposal: Hearings to be held, submission period extended

The public submission period on Rotorua Lakes Council's proposal to turn reserve sites into housing has been extended.

People will also have an opportunity to speak to their submissions with hearings to be held, the council announced on Wednesday.

The new deadline for feedback is 5pm on July 14. The original deadline was July 1.

Local Democracy Reporting revealed in April the council was proposing to turn 10 Rotorua reserve sites into housing.

The council said it was investigating the potential to sell "surplus" reserve sites that didn't meet open space requirements to address Rotorua's housing shortage and use the proceeds to improve the city's reserves network.

The extension to the feedback period was in response to some of the community requesting more time to make submissions, the council said.

Feedback from the community will be used to help with decision-making about whether to proceed and how. People who have already made a submission will be emailed about the hearings process.

As of last week, 155 submissions had been received. The hearings are scheduled for the last week in July.

Go to the council's website for information about the proposal and how to give feedback.