Strategy

Management of urban and rural development in a sustainable manner is one of the most fundamental challenges facing the western Bay of Plenty sub-region.

The area is growing at an extraordinary rate. Every week:

• 135 people arrive from other places
• 66 people leave the area
• 30 new houses are built
• 60 more vehicles go on the road, and
• 51 new jobs are created

The population of the western Bay of Plenty in 2001 was 130 000.This is predicted to increase to 198 000 by 2021 and 286 000 by 2051. But the population increase won't be just "more of the same".

Household structures are changing. While traditional families are likely to double in number by 2051, single- and two-person households will treble. And our population is aging. In 2001, 5000 people in the area were 80 years of age or older. By 2051, this will increase to 35 000. All of this leads to a need for more residential accommodation, new forms of housing, and additional business land.

It means more community, cultural and educational facilities, and new and different health care services. It requires better roads, more efficient public transport and greater opportunities for safe walking and cycling.

It means providing high-quality water to more than twice as many people as we do now and adequate wastewater and stormwater services. At the same time, we need to preserve the environment, cultural heritage and open space that draw people to the area and make the western Bay such a special place to live.

This is a tall order - and the very reason why SmartGrowth was launched in the first place. It grew out of community concerns about continued rapid population growth, and a lack of effective planning to manage this growth.