Newspaper Article 1994 – Lyndhurst dropped as housing area

Lyndhurst dropped as housing area

By Mike Tod

Staff reporter, Hastings

The Hastings District Council’s urban development is in disarray after the Lyndhurst Rd block was dropped yesterday as an option for future housing.

Consultant Beca Carter Hollings and Ferner had recommended 70ha in the area, which contains some of Hawke’s Bay’s top soils, be used for houses.

However, after five hours of debate yesterday councillors voted against the recommendation. It found the support of only a few.

A move to find a compromise by using only half the land was defeated by eight votes to seven.

The debate was highly charged and emotional. But the result was a uniting of rural and urban interests.

The decision means room will have to be found elsewhere in the district for the 800 houses that could have been built at Lyndhurst.

Beca told the council that 3000 new houses would be needed in the district by the year 2016.

Some councillors felt Hastings could stagnate unless Lyndhurst was developed.

“We cannot ring-fence the area that feeds the centre of town” Cr Terry Coxon said.

This would send the central business district “down the gurgler”.

Cr Coxon said he supported the compromise as long as it was feasible. But since it did not find favour with his colleagues he moved for the full 70ha to be used for houses.

‘Woolly woofter stuff’

Mayor Jeremy Dwyer said he reluctantly supported this.

Mr Dwyer said he had heard some “woolly woofter stuff” during the debate.

It became clear as the debate progressed that Lyndhurst would remain untouched unless the compromise could be agreed to.

Cr David Law said there was only one answer. Either all or nothing.

“My answer is nothing. If we continue down this track, we are heading for a disaster. A signal has to be sent that there is an end to this process. We cannot continue to risk these factory crops,” Cr Law said.

Cr Norm Speers said Hastings not only risked losing factory crops if fertile land continued to be used for houses. It could also lose J. Wattie Foods.

Cr Speers said Hastings had already lost Wattie Frozen Foods.

“That is $17-million that went out of the district.”

Cr Coxon said it had to be remembered that councillors were only being asked to start a planning process. Concerns could be raised again later at hearings.

Cr Coxon said it was important to note that the urban area of Hastings was formed long before any orchards were planted on the Heretaunga Plains.

Since the 1880s urban dwellers had given around 400 hectares of their land to various horticultural, cropping and farming groups.

Cr Beamish said there had been a proliferation of rural land uses since the turn of the century because people had got a lot wiser. They appreciated what a unique resource was around them.

Cr John Campbell said last week’s hailstorm had shown the value of horticulture to Hawke’s Bay.

‘$160m investment lost’

Hastings district will lose $160-million of investment during the next 25 years as a result of the decision not to proceed with houses in the Lyndhurst Rd area, Target Homes director Robin Bell said today.

Mr Bell said 800 houses at an average cost of $200,000 could have been built on the land. The Job potential and economic spin-offs for the district were now lost.

The bulk of housing will be directed toward Irongate Rd – York Rd.

Mr Bell said this area was not an attractive proposition for developers. The proximity to Flaxmere could deter investment.

Councillors ‘disloyal’

Hastings councillor Trevor Baker today accused some of his colleagues of being disloyal and short-sighted during yesterday’s debate on urban development.

Cr Baker said four urban councillors opposed a vital recommendation that would have allowed the city to progress. They did not support the use of land in the Lyndhurst Rd area for houses.

“The short-sighted view of some of my fellow councillors has left me cold. The disloyalty shown is appalling. This decision now leaves the city of Hastings in a bind. It leaves our city in the position of nondescript – nowhere to go but to the outskirts of Flaxmere. And let’s be honest, the majority do not want to reside in Flaxmere.”

Cr Baker said he would have been prepared to accept a compromise that would result in only half the 70 hectares of Lyndhurst land. This option would have suited a lot of people.

He believed it was not a good idea to push development to the Irongate Rd – York Rd area.

“In my opinion it is more productive than the Lyndhurst area. I’m sure the owners of that land would agree with me.”

Mayor Jeremy Dwyer said he had doubts about whether using the Irongate Rd – York Rd areas to link Hastings and Flaxmere would work.

Cr Baker said Hastings would suffer economically now that houses would not be built at Lyndhurst.

Mr Dwyer said he did not think Hastings would “go down the gurgler”.

Photo caption – Cr Baker