KEY POINTS:
Houses built on the Ngunguru Sandspit will have to be raised about 4.65m above sea level to take into account global warming over the next 100 years, the landowner says.
Development company Landco, which owns the sandspit and neighbouring Whakairiora block, has revealed plans for a 350-section village covering 36ha of the sandspit - about a quarter of the land at Ngunguru.
Another 85ha would be a reserve, possibly under the control of the Queen Elizabeth II Trust.
The company is detailing its plans to local residents and members of the Maori community at the Ngunguru Hall today and tomorrow.
But the project was inadvertently posted on its website on Tuesday, and the size of the scheme has angered opponents of sandspit development.
At a briefing this week, Landco group planning manager Neil Donnelly said the possible effects of global warming had been taken into account.
Mr Donnelly said any homes would have to be built 4.65m above sea level. This would give 100 years of "future-proofing" against predicted rising sea levels.
Landco would set up a community trust that would include local residents and iwi representatives to help look after the sandspit.
The firm's land development general manager, Andrew Stringer, said the company would protect the environmental and cultural significance of the sandspit.
Mr Stringer said the local hapu Te Waiariki had not backed the plan. The company denied promising or offering sweeteners to the hapu.
Mr Stringer said the plans could be altered after public consultation, as the company was keen to make the project environmentally and culturally sustainable.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
