Minister Chris Bishop green-lights six-storey buildings in downtown Mount Maunganui

Six-storey buildings have been green-lit for Mount Maunganui's downtown area. Photo / NZME

Six-storey buildings will be permitted in downtown Mount Maunganui after Minister Chris Bishop released his decision on controversial planning rules for the area.

Bishop, the RMA Reform Minister, announced his decision last week on two planning rules for Mount Maunganui North and an area in Tauranga’s city centre.

Tauranga City Council referred the decision to the minister after the commission rejected two recommendations from an independent hearing panel as part of Plan Change 33 - a decision that left some residents “furious”.

Plan Change 33 is in response to the Government’s medium-density residential standards (MDRS) that allow for greater intensification in urban areas.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The council rejected the hearing panel’s recommendation to retain the current height limits in Mount Maunganui North at a meeting in May.

This angered residents, who said taller buildings would “destroy the iconic character” of their beachside suburb.

The council was required to make alternative recommendations for the Mount, which have now been accepted by the minister.

Heights of six storeys will be permitted in the Mount’s shopping area and within 400m of it, then four-storey buildings within 400m to 800m of the shops.

Permitted heights in around two-thirds of this area would remain at three storeys because of other district plan rules, said Bishop in a statement.

Bishop said he carefully considered this matter and took advice from officials.

”The law requires that I only take into account matters that the panel could have taken into account when making its recommendations.

”I have not commissioned new evidence. I have made decisions on what was put before me.

”Legally I am required to make these decisions in a timely and efficient manner, and I have done so.”

The council’s recommendation would provide greater development capacity and enable the Mount Maunganui North area to respond to the changing needs of the community, Bishop said.

It would also enable the management of identified cultural landscape, coastal environment, natural character and outstanding natural features, he said.

Council strategy, growth and governance general manager Christine Jones said developments of more than four dwellings would still needed to go through a resource consent process, which would consider urban design outcomes and infrastructure requirements.

Council strategy, growth and governance general manager Christine Jones. Photo / Alex Cairns

”There are also a number of ‘qualifying matters’ relating to landscape and cultural values and viewshafts to Mauao, which could limit permitted heights in the Mount Maunganui North area.”

The minister agreed with the independent hearing panel’s recommendation to remove the height limit in an area in the CBD.

The commission wanted to keep the 16m height limit on the block of land from McLean St to Spring St between Willow St and The Strand, known as Area F.

This was to ensure amenity of the waterfront and prevent shading from buildings.

The site is in front of the $306m civic precinct Te Manawataki o Te Papa which is under development.

Bishop said removing the height limit would achieve a well-functioning urban environment and enable as much development capacity as possible.

An artist's impression of what Te Manawataki o Te Papa, Tauranga's future civic precinct, will look like.

Jones said new developments in this area would still need resource consent if a building height intruded on the flight path.

Bishop said his decision gave better effect to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development, which applies to all councils with urban areas.

It aimed to remove “overly restrictive barriers” to development to allow growth “up and out” in locations with good public transport and infrastructure, according to the Ministry for the Environment website.

Plan Change 33 was made “operative in part” on June 26, with all the provisions accepted by the council on May 20 now incorporated into the city plan, said Jones.

Staff would now work to incorporate the remaining changes into the city plan and make Plan Change 33 “operative in full” in the coming weeks, she said.

”We look forward to working with the incoming council, once they’re on board, to support the growth of Tauranga and address our city’s housing needs.”

The minister’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.