Today the Community and Culture Committee agreed on a new future for Oceandowns Reserve and Tatua Reserve, as part of deliberations on the draft Tauranga Reserves Management Plan (RMP). These two reserves will take on a brand new role in the coming year.

Oceandowns Reserve

Oceandowns Reserve off Gloucester Road in Mount Maunganui will become an active reserve, with two football fields complete with training lights, a playground, a toilet block and parking. This plan was widely supported by residents through the consultation on the draft RMP, with 67% of submissions in support of the proposal, 17% against and 16% not clearly in support or opposed.

The reserve will contribute to providing a good spread of sports fields across the city, and will allow the Tauranga City AFC (Amateur Football Club) to relocate from Trustpower Baypark. Users and neighbours of the reserve will have access to more amenities, and will be able to continue enjoying the reserve for dog walking and open space.

Earthworks are due to start in April 2019 with the new fields planned to open for use by winter 2020.

Tatua Reserve

Further north on Newton Street in Mount Maunganui, Tatua Reserve is set to become the new home of the Mount Maunganui Playcentre and other community groups and organisations. The committee agreed to turn the neighbourhood reserve into a community building reserve, and to lease 800m2 of the 7570m2 area to the playcentre, whose lease on Blake Park expires in 2019.

The site will be able to accommodate other community groups and organisations wanting to take leases of their own. Council will provide power and water, lighting and car parking on site along with shared open space, and the organisations will deliver their own buildings.

This proposal gathered broad support from the community through the consultation with 72% in support, 23% opposed and 5% neither in support or opposed.

Works at the site are expected to start in early 2019 with the site ready by the end of June 2019 for the playcentre to develop their facility.

Community and Culture Committee Chair Terry Molloy said that these decisions will help maximise the usability of the two reserves and provide more recreation and social opportunities to residents closer to home.

'In terms of size, location and access Oceandowns Reserve is a great candidate for sports fields. With the solid support nearby residents have given the proposal, we are satisfied this is the right decision for our growing city”, Cr Molloy said.

'We've also been working a while on finding Mount Maunganui Playcentre a new home, so it's great to have landed the decision about Tatua Reserve. It will also allow us to respond to future demand from other community organisations, and that's a good position to be in.”

The committee also discussed a proposal to lease part of Soper Reserve, also on Newton Street, to Bay of Plenty Badminton for the development of a multi-sport hub. The committee asked staff to investigate other options across the city to host this facility, for their consideration next year.

Council will deliberate on the remaining topics of the draft Tauranga Reserves Management Plan in February 2019.