Omokoroa residents fight development

Opposition to the urbanisation of Omokoroa Peninsula in the Tauranga Harbour is under Environment Court scrutiny this week.

The Omokoroa Ratepayers' Association is fighting plans for the seaside settlement's population of about 1900 to reach 9200 by 2026 and eventually swell to 15,000.

But the Western Bay of Plenty District Council says the group is trying to turn back the clock.

The peninsula 20km northwest of Tauranga was earmarked as an urban growth area as far back as 1980 and the strategy reinforced repeatedly since then, the court was told yesterday.

The council's lawyer, Paul Cooney, said the time to challenge was in 1994 when the proposed district plan was notified. The region was one of the fastest-growing in New Zealand and it was unrealistic to preserve Omokoroa as a village.