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 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.
The process involves mana whenua, landowner, stakeholder, and community participation (including submissions and hearings).
The timeframe has been pushed out some three months and we are now aiming to notify the Keenan Road plan change late 2026 (subject to the outcomes of the various technical studies and feedback from consultation).
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
We are undertaking stormwater investigations which have proven to be complex and will now take until late-2025 to complete. The outcome of this technical work will then enable the options for roading, walkways and cycleways, and reserves to be finalised. Council will then undertake further consultation with the community around mid-2026 before preparing a plan change for notification which is expected to be in late 2026.