Gisborne District Council is calling for public feedback on its draft Future Development Strategy (FDS), which it says will shape future housing plans for Tairāwhiti.
Consultation on the draft strategy started today and will close on 31 January.
“Tairāwhiti has a housing crisis and the FDS is one of the tools to solve it by highlighting where new homes can be built,” the Council said in a statement today.
The region’s population is expected to continue to grow over the next 30 years, with an expected 5,000 new homes needed by 2052.
Council Director of Sustainable Futures, Jo Noble says the strategy needs to happen now.
“We need to plan for the future so we don’t end up with another housing crisis in 30 years’ time,” she said.
“Last November, we asked our community where to build more homes, and it’s clear that we need to redevelop existing urban areas and build smaller but high-quality homes. This can bring housing costs down and help create sustainable communities. But we also need to allow for more subdivision.
“We’re asking Tairawhiti to tell us what they think about the growth strategy in the FDS and whether we have the right balance between redeveloping existing urban neighbourhoods and allowing for expansion.”
Once completed, the FDS will map-out where and what different types of homes should be built over the next 30 years. The final strategy will inform changes to the zoning and rules for urban areas in the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan review, the Council said.
Read the draft strategy and have your say here.
