The subdivision site is largely covered in bushes and plants. Photo / NZME
The subdivision site is largely covered in bushes and plants. Photo / NZME
A 59-lot seaside housing subdivision has been given the green light on the outskirts of Napier despite concerns about coastal hazards.
Consent was recently granted for the subdivision on 7.9 hectares stretching about 1km along the Bay View coastline at 68 Franklin Rd.
The vacant land is on the ocean side of the railway tracks.
The subdivision will be set back 24 metres from the shore, which a consultant claims will provide houses “with a high level of protection from coastal hazards over the next 100 years and probably beyond”.
A coastal hazard zone runs across lots 19 to 48 of the subdivision, which are closest to the ocean.
The entire site also falls in a tsunami evacuation zone, meaning it has been identified as potentially being at risk of tidal waves.
One neighbour set further back from the coast says they will now “see the back of someone’s house”.
The resident, who did not want to be named, questioned why it had been permitted when “climate change with rising sea levels is an issue” and many councils were now hesitant to permit developments on coastal properties.
The subdivision site (in white border) in Bay View just north of Napier. Photo / NCC
Another neighbour, Klaus Gerding, said he did not have an issue.
When he bought his section seven years ago, he was told of the possibility the land in front of them could be developed.
He said there had not been erosion along that part of the coastline, and “the whole thing with tsunamis from my point of view is just fear mongering”.
If a major fault caused a tsunami, it would flood a lot more than just coastal properties, he said.
Jack Brownlie Investments Ltd, which is owned by Stephen Brownlie and Robert Johnston, lodged the resource consent application for the subdivision project in 2023.
The proposed layout for the subdivision. Photo / NCC
Napier City Council received 27 submissions for the publicly-notified proposal (24 of which were against).
Three independent commissioners — Rob van Voorthuysen, Richard Blakey and Napier Deputy Mayor Annette Brosnan — were appointed by the council to consider the proposal.
They granted consent.
A decision report claimed the potential effects from erosion and tsunami risks were “no more than minor”.
“The subdivision has adopted the 24m coastal hazards setback set by the Environment Court in 2006.
“The uplift in the 1931 Napier earthquake considerably disrupted coastal processes in the area fronting the site, leading to a period of rapid post-earthquake shoreline adjustment, but the shoreline has since been stable with no ongoing erosion, probably for at least 50 years.”
The report also stated the shoreline was likely to advance seaward in coming decades near the site, rather than the opposite direction.
“On the basis of existing best information, the 24m setback will provide dwellings in the proposed subdivision with a high level of protection from coastal hazards over the next 100 years and probably beyond.”
The report also stated the proposed subdivision “was not at risk from tsunami events with average recurrence intervals of less than 100 to 200 years”.
“Should a tsunami warning occur, the applicants propose that residents will evacuate up Franklin Road to an area of high ground across SH2 located 650m from the site.”
It also stated the land had received consents previously, including in 2008, when an independent commissioner granted consent for the land to be subdivided into 73 residential lots.
That was later reduced to 61 lots, but “for various reasons”, the site owners were not able to complete the subdivision and the consent lapsed in 2018.
The site is about 15 minutes drive from the centre of Napier.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council did not make a submission on the project.
Cats will not be permitted within the subdivision due to possible impacts on coastal bird life.
