Strategy Development
The Strategy sets out the vision:
"In 50 years' time ... the western Bay of Plenty is a place where people can contribute to and enjoy a quality of life that meets their needs and aspirations. It provides lifestyle choices from surf to mountain-tops, which support and reflect the natural attributes of the area. There is a strong community feeling accompanied by spirit and pride."
A number of things will be important to achieving this. These are also set out in the vision as follows:
By 2050, the western Bay of Plenty will be a unique area, which has:
- Maintained and improved its natural and cultural environment.
- Enhanced the lifestyles of its communities and provided for the social needs of residents.
- Created a thriving, sustainable economy.
- Provided an efficient and affordable infrastructure.
- Implemented an efficient and integrated planning process for growth management.
The vision statement then lists a range of characteristics, or features, which allow us to determine whether these achievements are being met
How was the SmartGrowth strategy developed?
There were several key elements in the early stages of the SmartGrowth planning process.
One was to gain a real sense of the kind of place we want the western Bay to be in the years to come. Another was the need for strong leadership and an agreement that we would all work together. We also had to ensure protection of the environment for future generations (partly through a more compact urban form) and respect the history and values of the original inhabitants of the area.
A brief history of SmartGrowth - as it moved from an "idea" for consideration to a formal strategy and action steps - goes something like this:
Phase one
The first phase was to develop arrangements between the councils, tangata whenua, and the community to provide a structure for managing the strategy development. The first phase also enabled funding of the project to be worked through thoroughly to ensure the work can be completed satisfactorily. This phase took six months to complete.
Phase two
The second phase began in July 2001. It is focussed on researching reasons for growth, likely demands of growth and issues involved in accommodating those demands. This includes the supply of land for housing, business and open space, servicing for water supply, sewer, roads, and stormwater; and protection of natural and cultural heritage. The second phase also includes establishment of communication with the community.
Phase three
The third and fourth phases focused on developing options for accommodating growth, testing and costing these to identify the best option taking into account community needs.
Phase four
Looked at costing the options and evaluating them.
Phase five
The fifth phase focused on implementing the preferred option, including detailed planning of areas likely to be subject to growth pressure and how the strategy will be paid for.
Phase six
The final phase was the publication of the final strategy. Public input was also sought on the final strategy. This was completed in April 2004 and launched publicly by the Prime Minister the Rt Hon Helen Clark on May 14 2004.
Implementation
Following the launch, participating Councils and Tangata Whenua set up a SmartGrowth Implementation Committee. This is independently chaired and supported by an Implementation Coordinator and Management Group.