Path set for major Rotorua changes

MORE HOUSES: Land has been released for a new subdivision.

Increased development in Rotorua, including the major redevelopment of Rotorua's lakefront area, has moved a step closer after the release of proposed new rules signalling where and how the city can grow in the future.

This week's release of the proposed District Plan has been met with cautious optimism by local developers who say those wanting to invest and build in Rotorua now have the clarity they needed.

Many are still wading through the implications of the plan, but Pukeroa Oruawhata client manager Peter Faulkner said zoning changes for land it owns in the Rotorua Lakefront area - stretching from QE Health to the Government Gardens entrance - meant another hurdle had been crossed ahead of the redevelopment.

His optimism was backed up by local developer Ray Cook who said the changes meant he would look at going ahead with some projects that had been on the backburner.

The release comes after three years of intense community consultation, more than 600 submissions, eight months of hearings and deliberations and more than 10,000 submission points. It is still subject to appeal, but the parts of the plan not appealed will become operative by late January.

Mr Cook said there were some good decisions in the plan.

"It's good to have the plan out to give certainty, certainly from a developers point of view."

He said there were a number of changes which affected a lot of areas. "It's encouraging and I think it will see development, undoubtedly."

Mr Cook believed the removal of the development contributions was a good incentive for investors to look at investing in the city centre. "The council will reap the benefits."

The lakefront area which Pukeroa Oruawhata owns has now been rezoned to allow future commercial, retail, tourism and residential development - a move which Mr Faulkner said gave the project more certainty.

While they were still working their way though all the details of the plan, he said generally speaking it was supportive of growth for Rotorua as a whole, and for its particular properties.

"It removes a degree of uncertainty and sets the framework for the next 10 to 15 years on how the city can develop."

He said they had worked closely with the council on the redevelopment plan for the lakefront so there were no surprises when they got to the consent process but the plan changes cemented that.

Mr Faulkner said they were still working through the "master plan process" and were moving from a very high level plan to starting to investigate specific opportunities for the site. That included working with QE Health about its future, as well as investigating business opportunities in their own right.

"It's a unique site in context of New Zealand, if not the world, to have a parcel of land nearly 11ha in an existing and established tourist destination in proximity to both the CBD and the world renowned Government Gardens. It's a huge opportunity."

Licensed surveyor Nick Davies from Cheal Consultants Ltd was excited by the opportunities presented in the proposed plan.

"The plan has been written positively to encourage development while being mindful of the not insignificant constraints present within the Rotorua district."

He said Cheal was looking forward to a period of exciting growth generated by the new District Plan for Rotorua.

Inner-city incentives The Rotorua District Council is providing an incentive for developers to move to the inner city when considering a suitable location for their business. There will no longer be a requirement for "financial contributions" to be paid to the council with new developments. Currently, the financial contribution is 5 per cent of the value of the redevelopment, so removing this means a substantial incentive, particularly for bigger scale projects.

Renewable electricity

A new development plan for Taheke 8C has been added to the proposed district plan to provide for mixed use development of that site.

The plan will enable new forms of renewable electricity generation, as Rotorua has the advantage of geothermal fields that can be used for producing clean energy.

The development plan also aims to support iwi economic aspirations for this site.

A development plan will allow for commercial activities, such as a tourist spa and visitor accommodation utilising the geothermal resources of the site. Rezoning the Ohaaki area to Industrial 2 allows for continuation and further development of the current use of the site, and acknowledges that the activities that take place there at present are industrial in nature.

More businesses at entranceways

This will allow for retail activities such as trade showrooms (eg home improvement) in corridors leading into the central city. The zone recognises that the trading nature of certain bulky goods retail businesses requires large-scale, accessible, non-city centre locations. The areas classified as "entranceways" face state highways and act as gateway corridors to the central city area.

Also aims to improve the appearance of land that is currently zoned for industrial purposes along city entranceway routes.

Hamurana stays ruralPlans to rezone that would have substantially intensified development and the community strongly opposed that proposed change. After submissions council commissioners agreed to change the zoning back to a similar zone that is currently in the operative plan.

Country lifestyle

About 140ha of land is opened up for future development in the Pukehangi Rd area with minimum lot sizes ranging from 350m2 to 8000m2.

Each stage of development along Pukehangi Rd requires a development plan to be submitted for approval, outlining lot sizes, servicing needs and design and landscaping requirements.

Once approved the subdivision could proceed as a controlled activity.

This aims to allow for innovative residential development in a unique setting, that matches market needs in the future. Some other areas in the Lynmore and Tarawera Rd area have also been identified for rural lifestyle living.

Lakes structures

Upgrades and maintenance of lakes structures within the existing footprint, such as boat sheds, jetties etc, are permitted activities in the proposed plan.

Also new lake structures in areas outside of "outstanding natural features and landscapes" will now have "restricted discretionary" status.

This is a more enabling approach compared to the original proposed plan.