Keenan Road Urban Growth Area

Keenan Road is an ideal location to provide more residential housing to cater for the growth we are experiencing in Tauranga.

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.

Following the first 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, with geotechnical, stormwater and environmental assessments underway.

The process involves mana whenua, landowner, stakeholder, and community participation (including submissions and hearings).

We are aiming to notify the Keenan Road plan change mid 2026 (subject to the outcomes of the various technical studies and feedback from consultation).

The transport network

We are currently investigating the transport infrastructure needed to develop the new Keenan Road community through a business case.

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.

The business case will determine connections onto State Highway 36.

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 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

We are now undertaking stormwater, geotech and ecological investigations which will take until mid-2025 to complete. Council will then undertake further consultation with the community before preparing a plan change for notification which is expected to be in mid-2026.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Keenan Road identified as an urban growth area?

Keenan Road has been proposed as a future urban growth area for Tauranga for over 10 years. We identified Keenan Road in Pyes Pa, part of what is known as the Western Corridor, as an ideal location to set up a new community and provide more residential housing to cater for this growth and meet national urban development requirements.

Who is leading the structure plan process?

Tauranga City Council is leading the structure plan process.

What does the process include?

The structure plan and associated plan change to the City Plan will be notified in the second half of 2026. This will involve formal submissions and hearings by an independent hearings panel, with decisions expected in late 2026. At that time development may be able to commence, but this will be dependent on the staging and infrastructure provisions contained within the plan change. The development of the whole new growth area is expected to take 20-30 years.

What is a structure plan?

A structure plan is a framework to guide the development or redevelopment of an area by defining the future development and land use patterns, areas of open space, the layout and nature of infrastructure (including transportation links), and other key features and constraints that influence how the effects of development are to be managed.

The structure plan will show us where the key elements of the new community will be located and how it integrates with the transport planning underway, development of a comprehensive stormwater consent and other infrastructure, and where the various land uses will be located. The land uses we are considering for Keenan Road are housing, a commercial center, primary school, reserves and walkways and cycleways. There will also be a rule framework developed that will be part of the City Plan to manage any future development.

Will there be consultation?

We will continue to engage with mana whenua, landowners, stakeholders, and the wider community as the structure plan progresses and more information is made available.

We're asking people across Tauranga, and within the Western Corridor area (from the Wairoa and Ōmanawa Rivers in the west, across Belk, Keenan, Merrick and Joyce Roads to the Waiorohi River in the east), to share their views on the plans to build the transport system and the future community.

We will evaluate all the feedback we've received, and it will be included alongside input from partners and stakeholders and considered together with the technical and funding recommendations to inform structure plan options

What is the timeframe being looked at for the structure plan?

August 2023: Project commencement
September 2023: Public drop-in sessions held at Pyes Pa Settlers Hall
Mid-2025: Technical studies completed
Late 2025: Draft preferred structure plan finalised and consulted on
Mid-2026: Structure plan completed, and plan change publicly notified under the RMA (or equivalent replacement)
Mid-2027: Plan change operative.

How many houses are planned for Keenan Road? What kind of amenities will be built?

There could be 2500 - 3000 houses (approx. 6,000 people), a local shopping centre and parks and reserves (including a possible active reserve), and a primary school.

What will happen to my house or land?

There will be no immediate changes to the existing land, including existing land uses and houses. Part of preparing the structure plan will be the consideration of staging and timing of the provision of infrastructure and development. It is anticipated to take 20-30 years to fill up the urban growth area.

Where are the new roads going to go?

To support the new community, we will require improvements to the transport network, both upgrading connections onto SH36, Pyes Pa Road and the wider Western Corridor, and developing a new multi-modal internal road layout.

We are currently investigating these transport infrastructure needs to develop the new Keenan Road community through a business case with NZTA/Waka Kotahi. The existing roading network will remain and be upgraded over time as the development progresses and there are likely to be some additional new roads.

How does this affect Belk, Merrick and Joyce Road?

The Keenan Road structure plan area does not affect the properties on Belk, Merrick and Joyce Roads. These other areas have been identified as possible long-term options if Tauranga’s population continues to grow. However, provision is to be made for a possible future connection between Keenan Road and Merrick Road.