Hawke’s Bay Regional Council today confirmed its support for the overall Napier–Hastings Future Development Strategy (FDS) but added caveats about two areas proposed for housing development.

The FDS is a 30-year blueprint for where and how urban growth — especially housing and business development — should happen in Napier and Hastings. It was developed jointly by the Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council alongside mana whenua partners.

Regional Councillors had always expressed concerns about the flooding risk of a proposed housing development on Riverbend Road in Napier and the use of highly productive land for a housing development on Middle Road in Hastings. Both proposed developments are specifically mentioned in the FDS.

Regional Council Chair Hinewai Ormsby says the Council is committed to supporting growth, but not at the expense of people’s safety or the future resilience and well-being of communities.

“We believe it's vital that growth is planned, but it is also safe. We have consistently raised serious concerns about the natural hazard risks. Cyclone Gabrielle taught us painful lessons about what can happen when we build in flood-prone areas,” she says.

“We will work alongside our partner councils to find a path forward.”

The Napier City Council and Hastings District Council are due to discuss the strategy tomorrow (Thursday 26 June).

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