Feedback received during early engagement on the Nelson Tasman 2021-2051 Future Development Strategy (FDS) has helped identify some key preferences and new sites of interest.

The FDS is a joint project between Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council, which assesses and sets out where and how residential and business growth within both regions will occur over the next 30 years.

The FDS looks to increase affordable options for residential and commercial sites by enabling growth and planning for a range of housing types including smaller, denser housing.

Both councils held webinars with stakeholders and community members in October 2021, which gave people the opportunity to suggest sites for consideration as new growth areas. Similar engagement took place with iwi and hapū, and youth councillors.

The council teams have recently assessed 200 potential growth sites suggested by planning consultants, landowners and developers in the Nelson-Tasman region.

In the Tasman District, 154 sites were suggested, including growth areas outside of the urban environment in such as Tapawera, Murchison and Golden Bay.

Of these sites, 60 were included in the 2019 FDS and 74 were new sites, while 20 emerged through community consultation.

In Nelson, 46 sites were assessed. Most of these were included in the 2019 FDS, but seven were new sites. Ten sites were included in the 2019 FDS, but redefined following assessment.

Feedback received from the community and stakeholders during the engagement process included:

• A preference for intensification over expansion, particularly as it relates to the protection of highly productive land and accessibility.
• The importance of proximity to public transport, jobs and amenities in growth areas.
• Concerns over how affordability is addressed, social housing is provided as well as how the FDS will implement the Carbon Zero Act and contribute to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
• Importance of carefully managing risk from natural hazards, in particular sea level rise and flooding.

Stakeholders also provided information relating to key projects that should inform the FDS, including the National Resilience Programme Business Case, One Network Framework, Hope Bypass, Nelson Future Access, and the Richmond Programme Business Case.

Identification of infrastructure required to support the growth areas is underway, while liaison with developers and iwi is ongoing.

A draft of the FDS is being written and expected to be completed by February 2022. This will be followed by public consultation beginning in March 2022.

The strategy is then expected to be finalised by July 2022.

More information can be found on our websites:
tasman.govt.nz/fds and
https://shape.nelson.govt.nz/future-development-strategy

Or email us: futuredevelopmentstrategy@tasman.govt.nz and futuredevelopmentstrategy@ncc.govt.nz.

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