It’s been a while! Kia ora and welcome to this update on the Tauriko for Tomorrow project.
Last week the Transport Minister announced the start of the Tauriko Enabling Works, a programme of upgrades to SH29 that will enable the development of the first 2400 new homes at Tauriko West. Tauranga City Council is also progressing the planning for the new urban growth area, with proposed changes to the Tauranga City Plan to rezone Tauriko West for urban development notified early March.
In this edition read up on the Tauriko Enabling Works, the future transport improvements in the area, the proposed rezoning for Tauriko West, and two other plan changes to rezone areas of land around Belk Road and the Tauriko Business Estate.
Tauriko Enabling Works to get underway
Tauriko Enabling Works flythrough – take a look at what the upgrades will look like once completed.
Tauriko West is one of the large-scale communities planned to cater for the western Bay of Plenty’s growth, and expected to provide up to 4000 much-needed new homes. A first tranche of up to 2400 homes will be enabled through the Tauriko Enabling Works, a programme of upgrades to SH29 delivered together by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and Tauranga City Council (TCC).
These upgrades will improve safety at intersections of State Highway 29 with Redwood Lane, Belk Road and Cambridge Road. They will enable housing development within Tauriko West from around 2027, support continued development of Tauriko Business Estate, and improve access to public transport.
Downer will deliver the project on behalf of NZTA and TCC and construction will start at the new SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout with mobilisation works already underway.
Details on the progress of the Tauriko Enabling Works will be available at nzta.govt.nz/tauriko-enabling-works as the project progresses. Visit that page to sign up for regular construction updates.
SH29/Redwood Lane intersection upgrade
The upgrades in this area will provide access to the new community planned in Tauriko West and the Tauriko Business Estate, improve safety, and provide ways to move around the area and include:
- a new roundabout at SH29/Redwood Lane which will connect to Tauriko Business Estate via Kaweroa Drive and provide access to the southern part of Tauriko West via Redwood Lane
- a new shared path connecting Redwood Lane to Kaweroa Drive crossing underneath SH29
- closure of the existing SH29/Belk Road intersection, with traffic redirected through Tauriko Business Estate to the new SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout. The existing SH29/Belk Road intersection will only be closed once the connecting roads and the new SH29/Redwood Lane roundabout have been completed.
New roundabout at SH29/Redwood Lane, looking towards Tauranga (artist impression)
SH29/Cambridge Road and Tauriko Village intersection upgrades
The upgrades in this area will provide access to the new community planned in Tauriko West, improve safety, and provide ways to move around the area and include:
- a new intersection with traffic lights on SH29 at Tauriko Village to provide access to the northern part of Tauriko West
- widening of SH29 between the new intersection at Tauriko Village and Cambridge Road, including provision of a new shared walking and cycling path along the northern side of SH29
- an upgrade of the existing SH29/Cambridge Road intersection with traffic lights and a new connection to Whiore Avenue for buses, people walking and cycling only
- a new footpath along the southern side of Whiore Avenue and provision for future bus stops. The new bus stops and an on-road, 2-way, protected cycle lane between the SH29/Cambridge Road intersection and Taurikura Drive will be installed once the first homes in the new Tauriko West community have been developed and demand increases.
New SH29/Cambridge Road intersection, looking north towards Tauranga city centre (artist impression)
Future Tauriko West transport improvements
The Tauriko Network Connections Detailed Business Case looks at future transport upgrades to State Highway 29, State Highway 29A and State Highway 36 in the Tauriko area.
The preferred option includes a new 4-lane SH29 from Redwood Lane to the new Takitimu North Link interchange, existing SH29A widened to 6 lanes (2 bus-only, 4 general traffic) from Takitimu Drive Toll Road to Barkes Corner, integrated walking and cycling connections and an improved public transport network.
It delivers on the outcomes we heard are important to the community; it supports a thriving and growing community, provides choice in how people want to travel, protects strategic freight routes to and from the Port of Tauranga, provides safety for all users, and improves resilience and environmental outcomes.
The option has been endorsed by the NZTA Board and partner councils Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council. Funding will be sought for the first 3 phases of the preferred option via the upcoming 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) prioritisation process.
Find out more at nzta.govt.nz/tauriko-network-plan.
Planning for the new community at Tauriko West
Tauranga City Council continues its planning work to create a thriving community for locals to live, work, learn and play.
This includes completing the Structure Plan (which integrates with the transport planning underway), changes to the Tauranga City Plan to enable urban development, assessment of effects, and development of a comprehensive stormwater consent.
Tauranga City Council has recently publicly notified a proposal to rezone the Tauriko West urban growth area from rural to residential, through a variation to Plan Change 33: Enabling Housing Supply.
Proposed Variation 1 to Plan Change 33 includes:
- rezoning the growth area which is currently Rural Zone to Medium Density Residential Zone
- mechanisms to protect the values (cultural, heritage and landscape) of the Wairoa River
- provisions to enable up to 2400 homes to be built once the Enabling Works are complete
- provisions to enable the establishment of small-scale commercial activities in local and neighbourhood centres
- provisions to manage flood risk within the growth area.
Public submissions run until Tuesday 9 April 2024. Find out more at tauranga.govt.nz/variation1-pc33.
Public information session next week:
If you would like to find out more about the proposed rezoning, come see us at the Greerton Library on Monday, 25 March 2024, anytime between 4pm and 7pm.
Access to the drop-in information session will be from the library’s side entrance off Greerton Road, opposite the car park. See you there!
Plan Change 34: Belk Road
Now open for submissions, Plan Change 34 proposes to zone a small area between Belk Road and the Tauriko Business Estate from the Western Bay of Plenty District Plan into the Tauranga City Plan following the boundary alteration undertaken in 2021. The submission period closes on 9 April. You can find more information and make a submission on our Plan Change 34 webpage.
Private Plan Change: Tauriko Business Estate (stage 4)
Plan Change 35 is a private plan change prepared by Element IMF, the developers of the Tauriko Business Estate to rezone the land from rural to industrial. The existing Tauriko Industry Zone land is close to reaching capacity and the developers of the Business Estate are seeking to extend the zone to include lower Belk Road. Plan Change 35 is open for submissions until 9 April. For more information and to make a submission, please visit the Plan Change 35 webpage.