Napier lifestyle village development approved

A 65 house development in Taradale's Guppy Rd has been approved. Photo/Paul Taylor

A 65-house lifestyle development in Napier has been given resource consent.

The Taradale site's entrance on Guppy Rd is where The Vege Shed is situated opposite Cornwall Rd and will likely be a gated community.

"It is a lifestyle village for people who are 50-years plus, not a retirement village," developer and realtor Cam Ward said.

With fellow developer and realtor Simon Tremain, a similar lifestyle village of 60 two-bedroom houses is also planned for Howard St, Parkvale, and also likely to be gated.

Each two-bedroom duplex dwelling in the Guppy Rd project will have a garage adjoining its neighbour on a "beautifully landscaped" section about 340sq m.

"It is for people that have downsized from their family home but don't want to go into a retirement village," Mr Ward said.

Originally, 73 houses had been planned for the Guppy Rd site but the number was reduced to provide for more green spaces.

The duplex design for the Parkvale project had been proven in 10 other New Zealand centres, Mr Tremain said.

"There's a real market for people whose family have left home and they are not looking to go into a retirement home but want something smaller, newer and warmer with low maintenance so they can lock and leave," he said.

"We have been ready to go for a long time and can launch straight into it once we get the council tick-off."

They would be priced in the high $400,000 range, he said, compared with most new homes which cost up to $700,000.

Council "tick-off" was required because the duplex development was outside existing planning rules.

Last week Hastings District Council ratified a Hearing Commissioners' decision to not allow a supermarket on land adjoining the proposed duplex development.

The decision can be appealed in the coming month.

Progressive Enterprises wished to establish a Countdown supermarket as a Restricted Discretionary Activity accessed from Havelock Rd.

A key part of its submission was supermarket access from the Havelock Rd side of the area, which was also a key part of the submission's rejection.

At the same meeting last week, council stalled endorsing a regional plan for residential development.

The 2016 review of the Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy (HPUDS) was withdrawn after councillors said they had not had enough time to consider and consult on the document that gives a long-term development framework for land use and infrastructure in the Heretaunga Plains sub-region up to 2045.

Howard St was already identified on HPUDS and was not affected by the delay.
After a workshop covering HPUDS for councillors the ratification for the reviewed HPUDS will be back on the council's agenda next month.

HPUDS was to have been reviewed last year but was delayed due to the 2015 census postponed because of the Christchurch earthquake.