Abandoning the Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy

Abandoning the  Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy

Published HBT  8 May 2017

The Hastings, Napier and Regional Councils have been asked to sign off the first five year review of the Heretaunga Plains urban development strategy (HPUDS). HPUDS is intended to minimise urban sprawl which has merit but the emphasis on favouring horticulture above all other parts of the economy is unbalanced and could inflict significant damage on the Hastings and wider Hawke’s Bay economy.

Whilst the growing sectors are core to the economy many of the jobs provided are seasonal, poorly paid and low skilled and in fact are so unattractive that the growing industry has to import thousands of workers from undeveloped third world Pacific countries. Clearly the quality of employment provided contributes to our high levels of poverty and deprivation.

The claim recently made by the Mayor of Hastings (HBT 20/04/2017) and oft repeated that we have “some of the best soils in the world” seems unsupported by any authoritative supporting research. Whilst the Heretaunga plains are highly productive by New Zealand standards, New Zealand is considered to have quite poor soils.

The most recent version of HPUDS provides for a faster rate of population growth than previously anticipated and now estimates a further 10 600 new housing sites will be needed by 2045, up 2600 from the 2010 document. Of these, 40% are to be provided by intensification in the first 10 years rising to 60% in the final 10 years, with 50 % to be greensfields dropping to 35% and 10% rural declining to 8%.

If we are to achieve the intensification targets for the first 10 years an additional 214 dwellings a year will be needed at a density of 20 – 30 households a hectare, double that for greenfield developments. Such concentration is often resisted by existing property owners who feel it will change the character of their neighbourhood in much the same way a many object to building on the hills.

The strategy also calls for a balance in supply between Napier and Hastings, a requirement that seems to have no logic. That Napier has already agreed to sign off is hardly surprising because the policy clearly prevents Hastings exploiting its natural advantages. Hastings has more land on which to build both houses and factories and is providing the majority of new jobs. Most importantly it is not threatened by natural hazards such as tsunami, liquefaction and the possible threat of becoming a coastal hazard zone if the predictions of climate change and rising sea levels eventuate. Only last week at a public meeting in Napier the HBRC seemed enthusiastic about managed retreat from coastal areas. Hastings councillors also need to ask whether agreeing to HPUDS risks the HDC becoming libel for compensation in the event of these risks eventuating, in the same way councils became partially libel for leaky homes.

Townhouses and apartments are another option and certainly these seem ideal in Napier where they can be combined with ocean views but they are not for everywhere or everyone. Housing Corp past experience in both cities have been fairly disastrous and we do not want to impose Soviet style workers accommodation on our communities.

The issue of protecting the land is not new. Many decades ago another Hastings Council also reasoned the best soils needed saving and built Flaxmere on stony unproductive land. In doing so they created a suburb that is disconnected from the rest of the Hastings urban area and as it turns out was built some of the best grape growing land we have.

New housing is also needed to offset the ongoing conversion of residential areas to commercial use. Agricultural activity is also contributing to rural land losses because of the need to build Packhouses and Coolstores.

Additionally it seems HPUDS is making land banking attractive thereby restricting the availability of building sites, reducing competition and pushing up the cost of houses, exactly the type of activity government is threatening to legislate against in Auckland. It seems somewhat contradictory that the main supporters of HPUDS seem often to own large dwellings on attractive sections in rural settings.

We need an economy based on more than just horticulture and putting all our eggs in one basket could easily see return us to the conditions we experienced following the freezing works closures in the 1980’s and 90s.

To this councillor HPUDS seems to have become a roadblock to the development flexibility needed to provide a vibrant economy. Just why the Hastings Council has surrendered its sovereignty to the Napier and Regional Councils is unfathomable and if possible the HDC should withdraw from the joint policy so we can get on with the job.

I have to wonder if the two responders to my recent Talking Point on HPUDS actually read past the two sentences commenting on soil quality. Whilst Noel Congdon clearly has vast experience of soil science and as a former grower I can concur with his claim we have good soils. The point I was making was if we are to claim to have the best soils in the world this must be based on verifiable evidence not unsubstantiated opinion. Additionally I suspect our success in growing apples, grapes and some other crops is significantly improved by climate, drainage, irrigation, and infrastructure and fertilisers.

I am surprised Frank Long’s Vitriolic response was published as he seemed to contribute nothing to the discussion. Nor can I explain why he has an apoplectic fit every time he sees my name.