Building a new community
Tauranga City and the Western Bay of Plenty District have seen a rapid and sustained increase in population, with the sub-region’s population expected to increase and reach between 246,100 and 317,500 people in the next 30 years.
Keenan Road in Pyes Pā, part of what is known as the Western Corridor, is one of the large-scale urban developments proposed to support Tauranga's growth. It’s an ideal location to set up a new community and provide more residential housing. The plan is for an estimated 2,500-3,000 new homes staged over the next 20-30 years.
The planning process
Building the new community at Keenan Road requires changes to the Tauranga City Plan to rezone the land from rural to urban so housing can be developed. The plan change will also outline the rules that will apply to the development and guide consent decisions. The planning process involves mana whenua, landowner, stakeholder, and community participation (including submissions and hearings).
Following two stages of public consultation in September 2023 and April 2024, we’re progressing the proposed structure plan for the new Keenan Road community. The structure plan will show us where the key elements of the new community would be located including residential areas, roads, reserves, shopping centre, walkways and cycleways, and cultural and ecological features and values. To achieve this a number of assessments have been completed and others are underway (see 'document library').
Once it’s ready we will bring the preferred structure plan to the community and stakeholders for review, before formally notifying a plan change to rezone the area for urban development in the Tauranga City Plan. The timing of the plan change is impacted by current Government reforms to the resource management system – find out more under ‘next steps’ below.
The transport network
This new community will need walking and cycling infrastructure to connect people within Pyes Pa, the Lakes, Tauriko Business Estate, and future growth areas, as well as public transport provisions to connect the growth area to the city centre and beyond.
We have investigated the transport infrastructure needed to develop the new Keenan Road community through a business case. which will determine connections onto State Highway 36 as well as key internal connections. The business case has been finalised and is awaiting NZTA response.
As part of this we are investigating future improvements for State Highway 29 and 29A proposed by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency as a factor in supporting the new Keenan Road community
Public consultation
Stage one
Our aim is to develop a resilient and connected community. In September 2023, we sought initial community feedback on our investigations in Keenan Road to help us shape the growth area and the transport improvements. Consultation ran from Thursday, 31 August through to Thursday, 28 September, and included drop-in sessions and an online survey. You can read the full engagement report below.
Engagement report - September 2023 (622kb pdf)
Stage two
Following evaluation of stage one feedback, input from partners and stakeholders, and consideration of technical and funding recommendations, we developed a set of options for the community to give feedback on to help prepare a preferred plan. These included options for roading, walking/cycling, housing, reserves, and locations for a local shopping centre.
Engagement report - April 2024 (340kb pdf)
Next steps and Resource Management reform
We are undertaking stormwater investigations which have proven to be complex and will extend into 2026 to complete. The outcome of this technical work will then enable the options for roading, walkways and cycleways, and reserves to be finalised.
With the Government’s resource management reforms underway, it is unlikely the plan change will be notified under the current Resource Management Act 1991. Instead we anticipate that the rezoning of Keenan Road for residential development will need to be integrated into a new regulatory plan under the new system. The Government has signalled that the preparation of this new regulatory plan will begin in 2027, with potential to come in effect as early as 2028 (subject to Government resource management reform processes).
Find out more about the RMA reform
While this affects the timing of notification of a plan change for Keenan Road (previously expected in late 2026), we do not anticipate that these changes will have any substantial impact on when development is enabled on the ground, considering the broader requirements for infrastructure provision and funding for the Keenan Road Urban Growth Area.