Councils in high growth areas like the western Bay of Plenty are required by Government to assess future housing and business needs and create a development strategy for the next 30 years.
The Future Development Strategy (FDS) is a document produced by SmartGrowth (a partnership of councils, tangata whenua, community groups and some government departments) to drive the discussion and decision-making needed to manage this expected growth. Tauranga City Council has also produced the Tauranga Urban Strategy, which is complementary to the FDS.
SmartGrowth Future Development Strategy full document
The urban strategy also considers growth within Tauranga, with a particular focus on how to make great places to live. Both documents identify the big issues around growth – things like housing, transport, employment, an ageing demographic, cultural wellbeing, the environment – that we must collectively consider as our population increases over the next 30 years.
Where and how will we house an extra 66,000 people in 43,000 more homes? What kind of transport systems and infrastructure do we need? What options are on the table right now? How will we pay for it all?
In 2018 SmartGrowth engaged with many people in the western Bay on their views of what the future would ideally look like in our area. Lots of people provided thoughtful opinions through an online survey, public meetings and online. The information gathered will be carried through into the Urban Form and Transport Initiative (UFTI) – a collaborative project between SmartGrowth and the NZ Transport Agency to create a coordinated approach to future development and transport in the western Bay of Plenty.
Once we have a way forward from UFTI, we will update the Future Development strategy.
Urban Form and Transport Initiative (UFTI)