Golden Bay's housing dilemma as climate change and growth collide
Big plans are underway in Golden Bay with the expansion of the port and mussel industry, but with its main town of Takaka on a floodplain, the question of where workers will live has councillors and residents scratching their heads. At the same time, Tasman district councillors are reporting an anecdotal increase in the numbers of houses being bought to be used as holiday homes, and say subdivisions being built in the bay are high end and unlikely to add to the long-term rental market. The issue of where new housing can be developed in Takaka was highlighted last month, with council staff indicating a resource consent application from the Golden Bay/Mohua Affordable Housing Project (GBMAHP) to build a housing complex for seniors or those with disabilities on Reilly St would be declined over flooding issues. Former Tasman District councillor Paul Sangster, speaking in the public forum of the councils environment and regulatory committee meeting on Thursday, took aim at the council for its stance. Sangster said about 50m from the proposed Reilly St property, a house was being built. Chris Bennett [GBMAHP executive officer] was ... screwed. He was led on to believe that he could have that housing. The council chief executive had told Bennett that it was no longer a matter of mitigating the effects of flooding, but of avoidance, he said. If its avoidance, the housing group on Meihana St shouldnt be allowed to continue, he said. Were now building houses on the racecourse where we wouldnt allow a hospital to be built because it was a floodplain. Were allowing them [to be built] 300mm off the ground, and it seems that its just a matter of how much the ticket is clicked before the decision is made. If youre a millionaire, like the housing groupers, then great. Golden Bay ward councillor Celia Butler said the topic of new builds in Takaka was quite problematic. At present, there was one site that looked as though it might move ahead, but other than that, Butler said there didnt seem to be any developer who was progressing further housing development. The issue of land banking people owning land and not developing it was a problem that existed across Golden Bay and across the country, she said. One of the problems in the Bay anecdotally appeared to be that the number of holiday homes was increasing, she said, which were owned by wealthy people who used them for several weeks over the summer, and were otherwise left empty. You hear stories about houses that have been built by families and for families, then they get sold, and they get sold as in become holiday homes. It actually seems to be reducing our stock of homes. The future development strategy was looking at land in town, but this was subject to transport company Sollys having land available to move elsewhere. We havent really come to grips with this, Butler said. The Tasman District Council, in response to questions from Stuff , said land for an estimated 480 dwellings would be available in the next 30 years in the town. There were also additional Takaka sites in the Future Development Strategy that could be made available for another 200 dwellings, according to the council. With 2.7 inhabitants per household, that would equate to a growth of some 1800 inhabitants in the town, which currently has around 1400 residents. Deputy chair of the Golden Bay community board Grant Knowles said after Cyclone Gabrielle insurance companies and the government had a freak-out. Were now very limited in where we can build because of that, and I think that comes down again to climate change ... it makes it very difficult for us to make headway in a town that's on a floodplain, and we won't be the only ones in the country. While there was a co-housing development underway in Takaka, those houses were priced at around $700,000, which was at the high end for anyone attempting to get into the housing market. The mussel industry expansion in the next 10 years would likely bring 300 jobs to the area and 600 to 800 people, he said. Aside from housing, Golden Bay didnt have the infrastructure in terms of schools and medical facilities, let alone for the inability for the road to Tarakohe to be widened for an increased number of truck movements. There were two subdivisions happening in Ligar Bay, and another on Richmond Rd, but these were high end and unlikely to be rented to those working in the mussel industry. Takaka does need to expand, and there are paddocks behind Takaka owned by Fonterra, but its all floodplain ... it is a stranglehold. Professional people, such as teachers and nurses coming to Golden Bay, found it really hard to find somewhere to rent, he said. We all want to see got the Golden Bay expand in a way that's healthy, but I don't really don't know how that's going to happen. A search for Golden Bay on online tourism accommodation platforms by AirDNA listed 219 entire homes as available. A search for a long term rental in Golden Bay on TradeMe, on the other hand, yielded a single house. A resident told Stuff that there were now pockets of transportable tiny houses and little sheds put up everywhere. Its like untold, now, compared to last year, [when] there was stuff all. Every little backyard has got a little hut on it or a bit of a power cord going out to a shed. Its quite desperate, and quite sad. Frank Byrne, the owner of Takaka-based Frank Byrne Builders, said the costs of housing development had probably outweighed the returns, and were loaded against those trying to get consent. But it wasnt a reason to quit outright. We cant just stagnate and pull up the shutters and say this is it. We need development, we really do, he said.