Agreement has been reached between landowners and Tauranga City Council about the steps being taken to build a new town from the ground up at Papamoa East for 30,000 people.

The City Transformation Committee is recommending the council endorse the Wairakei/Te Tumu Framework Plan, and the draft Wairakei/Te Tumu Implementation Plan.

The plan is jointly developed and funded by Bluehaven Management Limited, Te Tumu Kaituna 14 Trust and the Tauranga City Council.

As part of the development of the plan, the council also engaged with the regional council, NZTA, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board and Ministry of Education to align objectives and potential planning and funding options for Papamoa East, and input those outcomes into the Framework Plan.

Infrastructure costs for council will occur through the development of the 2018/28 long term plan.

These include an estimated $59.6m for infrastructure, the three water services and roading. This could be reduced to $39.8 million with government funding.

Playing fields, parks: $20 million plus $20 million to develop. Indoor sports and pool: $10-15million. The TEL Papamoa East interchange: $25m - at least half of which will be paid by NZTA.

It won't all be required at once, and the timing and construction of the town will depend on demand. It will be known as Golden Sands, says Bluehaven CEO Nathan York.

The plan is the first time Tauranga City Council has embarked on a partnership with developers that is jointly funded to build an overall plan that potentially delivers over a very long period of time, says consultant planner Campbell Larking.

It's about trying to create a successful community out in the eastern corridor.

'It (the plan) is non-regulatory, there's not an expectation that this is to be built into the city plan and leveraged through that. It is one that is built around partnership, land use and integration of infrastructure planning.

'And the plan that is in front of us is about managing collectively what is the design and development of what has been called the Golden Sands town centre and the employment precinct that's around that.

'This is about creating a clear central core within the Wairakei/Te Tumu urban growth area to service that eastern corridor.

'Development with the town centre will actually occur over a number of phases and stages. It does progress over time with all town centres and commercial developments. It will re-invent itself over time as the population grows. We are expecting to see significant population growth in Te Tumu and leverage off the amenity.”

One of the core things around the plan is trying to outline and articulate what are the benefits for Papamoa East and the wider city in terms of what is the planning, the land use, and the infrastructure, says Campbell.

'And it's clearly trying to articulate early on in the planning period what are the necessary building blocks to deliver that town centre. In a strong contained urban form. And that is a wider benefit to the city.”