Tauranga City Council Long-Term Plan submission hearings continue

First-home buyer Abhishek Mukherjee would have to sell his land if the council increases building impact fees. Photo / George Novak

Building impact fees, public transport and tourism were among the topics of public submissions made on Tauranga city's Long-Term Plan.

Yesterday was day two of five of the Long-Term Plan submissions hearings. Deliberations were held in the council chambers.

First-home buyer Abhishek Mukherjee spoke about his Long-term Plan submission about the proposed $16,000 increase to building impact fees.

Mukherjee told commissioners he was planning to build a house on a section he bought in March but if the increase went ahead he would have to sell his land and go back to renting.

He asked for a smaller increase in fees, or to extend the deadline by 12 months to give him and his wife more time to submit their plan.

"We can afford an increase of $1000-$2000. But $16,000 is huge. We can't really afford that."

Commission chairwoman Anne Tolley. Photo / George Novak

Commissioner chairwoman Anne Tolley appreciated the proposed change was a significant increase but said fees had to go up to help pay for the Waiāri Water Scheme to support population growth.

"There's always this balance between providing for existing residents and providing for growth. One of the biggest complaints is that residents feel like they've paid for growth.

"The Waiāri Water Scheme is partly for existing residents because we're still on water restrictions and partly for growth."

Transport advocate and former councillor Heidi Hughes spoke about her Wednesday challenge submission which would encourage people to use alternative modes of transport once per week. She asked for a council contribution of 20 per cent of the project.

"Transport – it's the biggest pain point in our city, but it's also the biggest opportunity to build community if we can really transform ... how we get around."

The initiative was about getting lots of people to make a small change and encouraged people to consider carpooling, walking, and cycling to school or work on Wednesdays.

"What we are wanting to do is inspire the community to create change and come up with the solutions that will work for them."

Heidi Hughes proposed a transport project to encourage people to use alternative forms of transport once per week. Photo / George Novak

Hughes said the project was driven by environmental reasons.

"We really have the next 10 years to start dropping our carbon emissions ... This transport project could be the first in the city that actually starts that trajectory downwards."

Hughes aimed to launch the project in September and was working on an app that would help people choose their transport options.

Commissioner Stephen Selwood supported the initiative.

"I think it provides an opportunity to really shift people's thinking about how and when they travel."

Tolley later told the Bay of Plenty Times addressing congestion problems through a modal shift was "a two-pronged attack".

"[It's about] getting people to think about the different ways and then making sure those ways ... are easy and accessible.

"There just isn't enough land to keep building roads to take all the traffic."

Larry Baldock want to see an internationally-branded hotel in Tauranga. Photo / George Novak

Councillor Larry Baldock spoke about preparing Tauranga for increased tourist numbers and said he wanted to see an internationally recognised hotel in the city.

"It is just appalling that we are the fifth largest city [and] we do not have an international brand hotel.

"We have always been in discussions with the Accor group about a Novotel and an Ibis side by side with a conference centre in the middle. I strongly recommend having a fresh look at that and giving Willis Bond the go-ahead to get on with it."

Baldock said once tourism and cruise ships came back, people would look for their favourite internationally-branded hotel in Tauranga but would be unable to find one.

"They're unlikely to trust brands they don't know or they're not members of," Baldock said.

The commissioners will hear submissions all week before making decisions for the city.

"Back in the heart of the council, people are writing reports," Tolley said. "We've said we want every issue that has been raised, addressed. Then we have a whole week going through those reports making the decisions.

"We've got to have the final decision made by July 31. That's the very last date in order to bring in a new rating system, otherwise we have to rate on last year's rates."