An artist's impression of the three-storey, 36-unit Beachwater housing development opposed by neighbouring residents.
Plans for a three-storey housing development for “people in need” in Pāpāmoa has met opposition from neighbours who say they’re frustrated they were given no say.
Tauranga City Council approved a non-notified resource consent in October for the 36-unit development on a 3290 sqm section in Beachwater Drive.
Each unit is designed for one or two occupants.
The development is one of the first projects backed by the new Bay of Plenty Housing Equity Fund.
Developer Archispace is likely to complete the project by the end of next year.
The 36 units would be leased by the Tauranga Community Housing Trust.
Trust general manager Jacqui Ryan said the tenants would be older adults and people with disabilities.
Beachwater Drive homeowners told the Bay of Plenty Times the development would have “huge impacts” on them, but they felt “shut out” of the process.
They found out about it after NZME reported on the housing fund projects in June.
Their concerns included the scale of the development, the number of tenants, added congestion, lost privacy and a change to the character of their “close-knit” neighbourhood.
Damage to their homes or property values was also feared.
They raised their concerns with the developer and the trust’s general manager at a public meeting last month.
Kristine Gaze, a Beachwater Drive resident of 23 years, said more than 80 residents attended, but were given no guarantees their key concerns would be addressed.
“Being able to bulldoze this consent through without residents being able to have our say is disgusting.”
Gaze said she believed the development was “far too big” for the section and it was the “wrong location” for this type of housing.
“I’m all for creating new housing areas, but this development will have a huge impact on us and the close-knit community we’ve created … some of my neighbours will have no privacy at all.”
Christine Hide said she and her mother Irene Howarth, 95, lived next door to the vacant section.
“This development will have huge impacts, not just for us, but for the wider community who live and work in this area, including local businesses.”
Hide said the development overlooked her property on two boundaries.
Lost privacy and sunlight, damage to her home and road congestion were among her “major concerns”.
Joan Francis, 92, a Beachwater Drive resident since 2001, said this was not a case of “not in my backyard”.
“The council should have made the developer consult with neighbours before the consent was granted.”
Another irate homeowner said she had just spent “significant funds” renovating the home she moved into in May, only to learn the development would overlook her home.
The neighbours were investigating whether there were any legal avenues to stop the development going ahead.
Archispace director Tim Haldezos said there had been “multiple discussions” with the development’s neighbours over recent months and following the public meeting.
He was happy to sit down with anyone who had concerns.
“We’re very proud of this development. It will provide high-quality housing for people in need, and we’re confident it will be a positive outcome for the community.”
Ryan said the residents’ concerns were “valid” and she was keen to work with them in a “constructive and respectful” way.
“This is not emergency or transitional housing. It is long-term, professionally managed accommodation designed to support independence and wellbeing.
“The housing and community outcomes we will achieve are exciting, but I fully acknowledge that change – especially in established neighbourhoods – can feel unsettling."
She said the future tenants already lived in “our community” but had struggled to find safe, stable and affordable housing.
The trust would ensure the development “integrated well and reflected the neighbourhood’s values”.
It had success with similar developments in Tauranga, including a 42-unit, three-storey build in Bethlehem regarded as a “best practice example”.
Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris emceed the public meeting and said he understood residents’ frustrations.
“This three-storey development is a taste of what the central government has in store for our community.”
Morris said even if the council wanted to change the zoning, Housing and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop had banned councils from making plan changes until the new Planning Act was in force, which would allow even more density.
Bishop had proposed buildings of up to six storeys in the area, he said.
Morris said he believed a “better solution” was for the Government to invest in smaller-scale developments that did not change the look and feel of a suburb.
Sarah Omundsen, the council’s regulatory and compliance general manager, said whether a resource consent was notified or open for submissions was determined by the Resource Management Act based on environmental effects.
“In this case, the effects arising from this proposal did not meet the threshold for notification.”
In a written response, Bishop said Tauranga had a clear need for more social housing.
“This new development is for older Tauranga residents, some of whom have disabilities.
“I encourage the residents to engage with the housing trust and the council over their concerns."
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.