Tauranga City Council review confirms shortage of developable land
Tauranga City Council’s Urban Form and Transport Development Committee heard the city is to face a shortage of around 1000 new dwellings before mid-2022 if current demand for new housing continues.
The forecast was part of an independent residential development capacity review that looked at available land for housing development in the next three to ten years. The review projected the shortfall would increase further until sufficient new supply becomes established.
Development constraints are due to a combination of very high growth rates in recent years, with Tauranga growing by 13% in the past five years and delays in council’s ability to rezone new supply. These delays apply particularly to new urban growth areas.
Committee Chair Larry Baldock said it was important to provide for future growth and council would be working with Central Government, the NZ Transport Agency, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and other key partners with urgency to increase the supply of developable land as well as progress plans for intensification close to the city centre.
“While there are obstacles to our continued growth we are committed to working with our partners to address the problem of developable land supply. The benefits of further growth are numerous; keeping jobs and economic growth positive among them as well as also trying to manage housing affordability, but we still need the right infrastructure to support our rapid growth,” Cr. Baldock says.