Community feedback is being sought on ways to grow Ōmokoroa.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is building on current plans for Ōmokoroa's growth, by making changes that will make it easier for the people of Ōmokoroa to build houses that suit their lifestyles, says a statement from the council

These housing changes have been prompted by the Government's Enabling Housing Supply Amendment Act, and give Council and the Ōmokoroa community an opportunity to use this legislation to our advantage – the important part will be to get the changes right for Ōmokoroa.

A community conversation on Council's new online hub – Your Place - has been launched to explore what the new changes will look like in Ōmokoroa.

Council's planning manager Phillip Martelli says they've been talking about growth in Ōmokoroa for some time now, and this new legislation to enable more housing will help to accommodate the continuous growth, and the changes will also make the development consistent across the whole peninsula.

'Government has introduced new law [Enabling Housing Supply Amendment Act] that requires Council's like the Western Bay to replace our local housing rules – with new rules that allow people to build more homes and different kinds of homes. This new law applies to towns that don't have enough houses to meet demand – for the Western Bay, that includes Ōmokoroa [and Te Puke addressed separately].

'What this means is, we'll be making it easier for you to add a unit to your backyard, build up three storeys and build townhouses – all without needing a resource consent. Subdividing land at the same time as completing a build will also be easier.

'The changes could also lead to benefits for Ōmokoroa such as increased affordability, increased access to employment, transport and community facilities, less urban sprawl and more housing choice to suit different lifestyles.”

However, all this will mean that some of Ōmokoroa's neighbourhoods may look a little different in a few years time, with more properties with more than one home on them, more backyard units, and more redevelopment where an existing house could be replaced with three or more townhouses, says Martelli.

'We can influence what happens around higher density developments, how we encourage the kinds of housing we need more of (e.g. many generations of whānau living together), and how we ensure our neighbourhoods have all the services we need to maintain what we love about Ōmokoroa.

'Your feedback is vital if we're going to get this right. It will tell us what the most important issues are for Ōmokoroa, and what we need to grow and what we need to protect.”

All of Ōmokoroa's current residential area will be subject to the new changes.

Martelli says the greatest effect will be on the existing village as most of the new developments on the peninsula either already meet the density standards or are too new to be considered viable for redevelopment.

Council's existing work to plan growth around Ōmokoroa is carrying on.

These new changes will be incorporated into council plans but will not affect the activities outlined in the structure plan such as education, shopping, and a town centre.

Community feedback is open until midday Friday, May 6, 2022.

You can provide feedback in a number of ways:

-Wānanga ipurangi (online) - take part in a survey or digital pin board online on www.westernbay.govt.nz/yourplace

-Kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) - Attend an community conversation event at the Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion on Tuesday 3 May 4-7pm, or Wednesday 4 May 2-5pm to provide your feedback in person.

-Pepa mārō (hard copy) - fill out a feedback form at the Ōmokoroa library and service centre.

Council will use feedback to draft a ‘plan change' to adopt in the District Plan.

Then, it'll share the draft with the community in June 2022 to check they've got it right for Ōmokoroa, prior to formal notification in August.