Land supply and sufficient housing capacity is an issue facing high growth cities across New Zealand. In Tauranga some of the development community have raised concerns that in 18 months there would be no developable land left in the city. Veros recently completed an independent report on the Western Bay sub region, Development Land Capacity for Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.
Our analysis concluded a short-term estimated development capacity of two years’ supply that will be delivered in the next three years. This sets the city up for a supply shortage that is likely to get significantly worse in the four to five year period before new supply is available for development. Further capacity within Tauranga City will come on stream in the medium 4-10 year term.
As experienced managers of residential subdivisions and delivering new communities, we are seeing more and more the challenges communities are facing with land supply, housing capacity issues and the necessity for city regeneration.
What can be done?
In finding solutions there needs to be an understanding of the problem, creative thinking and realistic actions.
• Support is needed for development to progress on blocks of land where the intent of the owner is known.
• Planned new growth areas need to be brought online. Recognising the considerable time and resource it takes to progress new areas, it is vital that projects continue.
• Supporting this is the need for an enabling environment within the statutory planning documents that encourages intensification in the right form and location in existing urban areas.
In terms of the last point two recent projects that Veros have been involved in, Latitude Apartments and the Seventh Avenue Apartments prove that both ends of the market can support intensification development.
These growth challenges also require us to be responsive to development needs, to be innovative and engage in our changing urban and provincial environments.
Rotorua Lake Front Redevelopment and South Taranaki Industrial Hub are recent projects where Veros has brought strategic planning, economic analysis and place making skills to support business cases for community conversations, funding applications and decision making.
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