An artistic render of what the proposed development on Grove Ave, at the corner of Te Ngaio Rd, could look like if it gains consent. Image / Supplied
Mount Maunganui residents opposed to plans for a "massive" accommodation and cafe complex on a prime beachfront section are battling to stop it from going ahead.
The Tauranga City Council has also raised concerns about the development proposed for the corner of Marine Parade and Grove Ave.
Dozens of people attended a resource consent application hearing held before an independent commissioner in the council's chambers yesterday.
The development has been proposed by Joga Singh of SS Trust, who applied for consent on June 29 last year.
The complex planned for the 1560sq m site included four apartments, 23 motel units and a small cafe.
SS Trust runs a kiwifruit business and bought the land at 74 Marine Parade and 45 Grove Ave in 2015 and 2017 to diversify after being badly affected by PSA in 2012.
The Marine Parade section hosts the Ocean Waves Motel, with a house behind on Grove Ave.
Singh said in his application that he lived with his parents and he and his family would likely live in the new building.
It would stand three storeys high, plus an underground car park.
A render had been done in black, wood and copper tones but the hearing was told this could be changed to greys and blues to be more in keeping with the beach neighbourhood.
Several Mount residents have opposed the development, variously describing it during the hearing as a "monolithic edifice", "huge", and "incongruous" with the area.
Only two of 31 people who made public submissions on the proposal were in support.
In his submission, Callum Harnor supported the proposal and said it would clean up that end of Grove Ave, provide jobs, fit in with the beachfront's aesthetic, and provide much-needed accommodation in the area.
David and Judith Clarke submitted the development would be a "vast improvement on the current eyesore that sits on this site".
Viviene Maclaren was opposed, saying in her submission: "I do wish the council would realise the Mount is full".
Phil and Lorraine Brennan submitted that the business activity was better suited to a high-density zoned area "rather than our family-friendly suburban neighbourhood".
"Why should residents have to move further away from the town centre to enjoy a lifestyle that is currently being eroded by the allowance of incompatible business developments as neighbours?"
At the hearing, Phil Brennan told commissioner Rob van Voorthuysen he did not want the neighbourhood to become like high-density Mount Maunganui when he often struggled to find a park.
He said his neighbourhood loved their low-key, community feel, and believed this was under threat.
"It's massive. It's huge, a big monolithic edifice right on our doorstep and we will be looking at it."
Submitter Barry Brown told the hearing the scale of the development would make it the second-largest building in the area, after Cutterscove on Marine Parade.
Brown said the area could not "and should not" absorb the increased pressure on infrastructure and amenities the development would result in.
He said it was "incongruous" with the area.
"This is a very large building. This building does not fit in size. It does not fit in use. It belongs elsewhere," Brown said. "It adds nothing to the community."
Brown told the commissioner: "In my view, if you allow this development to proceed, it's the thin edge of the wedge."
Other submitters such as Lawrence Edmonds and Peter Day, raised concerns around a lack of parking, increased traffic, and potential flooding of the proposed underground car park in a storm event.
Tauranga City Council development planner Camille Ladyman said the council recommended the application be refused.
She said there were several "contentious planning matters".
Ladyman referred to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 and Plan Change 26, which allows provisions to deliver increased housing capacity and choice. But she noted the plan change did not allow for non-residential activities such as business activities or visitor accommodation.
"The proposed development does not contribute to housing choice as directed by [the National Policy Statement].
Ladyman agreed the development would bring "vibrancy" to the area but said it remained "incompatible" with its surrounds, which was a suburban residential zone, unlike the nearby commercial zone pockets of Maunganui Rd and Tay St.
Landscape designer Will Thresher told the hearing he found the building would not be out of scale or out of place in the area and only immediate neighbours on Marine Parade and Te Ngaio Rd would be adversely affected. Such effects were mitigated by design and introduction of privacy screens, etc, he said.
Lawyer Vanessa Hamm, acting for Singh, said the Mount Maunganui area was "quite distinct" compared to other residential suburbs in Tauranga that have been developed under the same rules.
"This is a premium tourist destination."
Hamm said the development was not out of scale compared to other buildings in the "surrounding environment", also used for accommodation. While there was some concern at the height of the proposed build, "the immediate adjacent neighbours are not going to experience adverse effects like shading", she said.
The hearing was adjourned for at least a week to allow for Hamm to form a right of reply to concerns raised before the commissioner was expected to make a decision.