Land should yield 200 sections, Chamber told

Taupo Times, Volume 23, Issue 50, 25 June 1974, Page 13

Land should yield 200 sections, Chamber told

Crown land at Waipahihi, south of Taupo, should yield about 200 serviced building sections in a year, the Taupo Chamber of Commerce has been told. The subdivision was now underway, and the Ministry of Works and Development had given a firm date of June, 1975, when sections would be available, the member of Parliament for Taupo, Mr J. W. Ridley, said in a letter to the Chamber. "In addition, we are at present planning a major development of some 400 housing sections, and it is hoped that this will be a joint effort of Government, local body and industry," he said. "It is important that this work starts as early as possible, so that we can have a concerted and combined effort to make serviced sections available. "It is hoped that this work would be concurrent with, and follow on to the Government housing development at Waipahihi." Mr Ridley said it was hoped there would be

substantial development west of Taupo, particularly for housing, as a result of the present Royal Commission inquiry into the future use of Rangatira B and C lands. "This, although later in time than the first two, will follow on and ensure a continuing availability of sections," he said. The Minister of Housing, Mr Fraser, has told the Chamber that the disposal price of Crown sections at Waipahihi would be fixed by the Land Settlement Board. In accordance with present policy, the sections would be offered at a price based on the market value at the time they were released. Taupo' s acting town clerk, Mr R. F. Little, said in a letter to the Chamber of Commerce that the borough council was worried also about the Jack of availability and the price of residential sections in Taupo. In an effort to alleviate the problem, council had: 1. Arranged to subdivide into residential allotments an area of its own land at Invergarry Road. 2. Been pressing for an

allocation of State houses to the town. 3. Been pressing for subdivision of Crown land in the Taupo south area. "Any weight the Chamber can add to the alleviation of this problem would be appreciated by all concerned," said Mr Little. The Taupo County Council also wrote expressing concern on the housing shortrge. "While the county has a considerable amount of land, appropriately zoned, the problem is currently being examined in detail as similar demands for land for housing exist in Mangakino and Turangi, as well

as the lakeshore settlements," said the town planning officer, ' Mr P. Crawford. "The crux of the matter would appear to be that, while there may be suitable and appropriately zoned land, the basic difficulty- is ensuring that the permanent population has to compete with a more affluent, non-local population looking for land for second homes, holiday houses and investment," he said. "This situation appears to have existed for the last decade or more, and is a reflection of the popularity of the area as a holiday resort."