Protecting the natural character of Tauranga's coastal environment and Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes

Tauranga City Council’s Plan Change 33: Enabling Housing Supply enables residential intensification across the city; in particular, adjacent to Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes within the Coastal Environment.

Addressing implementing the National Policy Statement for Urban Development and the Medium Density Residential Standards the project team provided a collaborative joint-authority, in-depth and innovative analysis of the appropriateness of the residential intensification proposed via PC33 across Tauranga's coastal margins to ensure that recognised landscape-related values were protected and enshrined in the Tauranga City Plan.

Client

Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Location

Bay of Plenty

Project team

Rebecca Ryder
Sean Grace
John Watt
Niamh Priest

Worked with

Tauranga City Council
Isthmus Group

Project date

2022 - 2023

Awards

Technical Documentation Award | RMLA Awards

Boffa Miskell's role included:

  • Providing technical input into, and peer review of, the technical Landscape Assessment document, including methodology, analysis and identification of qualifying matters; and
  • Assisting Tauranga City Council policy planners with drafting the PC33 provisions as they relate to the protection of the coastal environment's natural character and Outstanding Natural Features and Landscapes.

The collaborative approach to the co-authored assessment included a detailed assessment and mapping of landscape values, and assessment of those values with regard to residential intensification across Tauranga. This drew from existing landscape and natural character studies undertaken by Boffa Miskell for the Councils.

Overall guidance was provided on methods for consideration of and managing potential adverse effects on identified landscape values, which were used to inform the S42A report and amended objectives and policies of the Tauranga City Plan, which were ultimately adopted into the final plan provisions by the City Council and the Ministers for the Environment and RMA Reform.

The Tauranga Residential Intensification Landscape Assessment (July 2023) — along with two reports prepared by Isthmus Group: Mount Maunganui Urban Intensification Study (July 2022) and Mount Maunganui North, Landscape Qualifying Matters (July 2023) — comprise the Plan Change 33 Landscape Qualifying Matters Assessments.

Photo: Simon Button, Isthmus Group.
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