Great Initial Response to Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy

More than 30 individuals or groups have given their views on the region’s development future, in a preliminary round of informal consultation for the Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy (HPUDS).

HPUDS is a joint process lead by Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to identify where urban growth will go from 2015 to 2045 and beyond. Hawke’s Bay will create a shared plan that will prescribe the desired density, sequence of development and boundaries to urban growth, and the infrastructure required to support it.

HPUDS Chair, Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott, says it’s critical to have input from regional groups, such as local Iwi, horticulturalists, environmental groups, developers and retailers associations, for example.
“We are really happy with the response we’ve had to this targeted consultation phase before we go to the wider Hawke’s Bay community,” Mayor Arnott says.

“There is clearly plenty of interest in the future of the Heretaunga Plains – we’ve had 1200 visitors to the HPUDS website www.hpuds.co.nz since it was launched in September.”

Since starting the process there have been two hui with local Iwi and a reference stakeholder group established, with their input going towards the development of the three scenarios.

In pre-consultation, which closed on Friday, stakeholders were asked to comment on three possible development scenarios designed from analysis. The scenarios ranged from the status quo to more controlled medium density development with clearly defined urban boundaries, and submitters were asked to preference any one or a combination of scenarios.

This feedback will inform the draft strategy which will be published for a formal consultation process around April/May this year.