Development plan reviewed

Getting a first-hand look at the level of development across Hastings was the focus for Hastings councillors on Wednesday.

Three councils are party to the Heretaunga Plains Urban Design Strategy (HPUDS): Hastings, Napier, and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. The councils are considering a review of the strategy, which governs development across Hastings and Napier, recommended by a Joint Working Group of elected members from the three councils last year.

The tour was of particular interest to first-time councillors and a chance for returning councillors to look at the progress of development since the introduction of HPUDS in 2010.

HPUDS Working Group member and Hastings councillor George Lyons said it was very valuable to get a look at development “on the ground; particularly with the engineers and planners on board to answer questions”.

“With the review there has been lots of discussion around which land should be left in and which should be left out. While we have maps covering all the areas, it is beneficial to be able to get a spatial impression of how different areas relate to each other and the surrounding growing lands.”

Last week they toured sites in Hastings, Clive, Haumoana and Te Awanga, Flaxmere and Havelock North, looking at areas both under development or potentially able to be developed.

The strategy, put together by the Hastings, Napier and Hawke’s Bay Regional councils, was extensively consulted on in 2009 before being put in place in 2010. It was designed to ensure the protection of Hawke’s Bay’s valuable growing soils by setting out development areas within current urban boundaries while rounding off existing boundary edges with some smaller growth areas.

It is reviewed at least every five years, after a national census and tied into residential housing assessments carried out every three years. A review has been completed and is now before the three councils for ratification. Hastings will consider the review this Friday.

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