Tauranga City Council staff begin relocation to Cameron Rd building this week.

Tauranga City Council staff working in the Devonport Rd building start moving into the Cameron Rd office building this week. Photo/Andrew Warner

Tauranga City Council's move to Cameron Rd begins this week, with staff being asked to consider alternative means of transport to work to save car parks and ease traffic flow.

Council staff working in the building at 2 Devonport Rd will start moving out and into the vacant offices at 306 Cameron Rd from Friday.

The move, which will happen progressively over the next three weeks, involves around 400 people moving to the Cameron Rd office for the next few years.

Main public services and Council Chambers will remain at Willow St and staff will continue to work between the Willow Street, Spring Street and Cameron Road offices.

The main driver behind the move is to support a major private redevelopment of the site at 2 Devonport Road.

Council chief executive Garry Poole said the council was committed to supporting initiatives that contributed to creating a vibrant, safe and successful city centre.

"We agreed to end our lease of Devonport Rd early to make way for this exciting new development," Poole said.

"New developments will bring more people and high-value businesses to the city centre, helping to achieve council's aspiration to become an internationally competitive city, creating a higher standard of living for all."

As part of the relocation planning, council staff have been developing a travel plan to encourage all staff to consider alternative means of transport to work.

Transportation manager Martin Parkes said the plan encouraged people to cycle, motorbike, carpool, use public transport, or walk/run if possible.

Parkes said because they were a large organisation they needed to lead the way in their individual travel habits.

"Every person on a bike, e-bike, or bus represents a tangible savings in car parks and it helps relieve the traffic flow."

The council has up to 60 staff who regularly bike to work, a number that will likely increase after 52 staff recently bought themselves e-bikes. Read more about this here.

The use of 306 Cameron Road is temporary until the planned new council offices are constructed in Willow Street. The new building is intended to house all CBD-based council staff from 2020-21.