More than 80 new houses on two adjoining sites, as well as a new sports field, could go ahead if a collaborative plan between the council and a sports club gets approval.

This includes possibly 31 sections being created on council land, and up to 55 on a little-used rugby field owned by the Waikite Rugby and Sports Club.

If the club agreed to develop its land for housing, the council would create a new sports field on nearby Boielle Park.

Rotorua Lakes Council has owned land at 61 Kawaha Point Rd for about 70 years, having paid £6000 to buy the long and skinny 8000sq m section in 1954. It has been used for grazing horses.

But that could change if elected members vote to progress plans for development at a council meeting today.

According to the meeting's agenda, the council will vote on whether to progress the proposed development and declare the land surplus, as well as use a request for proposals process to find a preferred developer.

It would also be asked to vote on the development of a sports field on Boielle Park. Waikite Rugby and Sports Club would be the primary user.

The club's land adjoins the strip of land the council was looking to develop, and it had been in talks with the council over the last two years about the possibility of developing its second field for housing.

Council urban development partnerships strategic lead Stephanie Kelly wrote a report for the meeting about the proposal.

Kelly wrote that, as with other similar clubs, Waikite had struggled recently with declining membership and ageing facilities. Being the landowner it meant it could consider options to raise money for facility investment.

While one field had been maintained to a standard community field condition, its second was not. It had previously only been used for junior rugby training.

It was this land it would develop for housing. Kelly said the club had chosen to focus on this development but work with the council for site alignment.

She said a new sports field at Boielle Park would mean the club and others in the community continued to have access to high-quality facilities.

'The development of an additional field will also improve public access, use and safety of an existing underutilised reserve.”

Estimates for creating the field, including drainage and lighting, sat between $350,000 and $450,000.

Funding was planned to come from financial contributions from the sale of lots at both the council and club housing developments, with any extra from the in-progress sale of a former reserve on Clayton Rd.

Kelly wrote that, given the length of time discussions had been taking place, staff had been able to anticipate the need for upgrades to stormwater infrastructure for the council's housing plans and applied to the Government's Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, which allocated $3.32 million.

'Detailed feasibility work is required, and is expected to include a 8000sq m stormwater detention pond and wetland development, and upgrades to the existing stormwater network within the area.”

The preliminary concept for the strip of council land included 31 sections. The site's rateable value was $250,000.

Frank St would be extended to a new road connecting to Kawaha Point Rd.

There was no detail as to what the type of housing would be.

Waikite Rugby & Sports Club in Koutu, Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner.

Club chairman John Fenwick told Local Democracy Reporting it was an exciting time for the club, and the council coming to the party would give its plans more certainty.

'The future survival of Waikite Club relies on development going ahead.”

He said there was not yet a preferred developer but the idea was for between 40 to 55 houses to be built on the former rugby field, with the club owning the land for most of them.

There would be a range of housing, including provision for kaumātua.

The idea was to bring the club's facilities and field to a high standard.

Local Democracy Reporting spoke to two residents whose homes backed on to the council site.

James Wikotu has lived in his house for the last 18 years and said he had not heard of the plans.

He thought the horses going would be good, as it could get smelly during the summer, and liked the thought of having more neighbours - as long as they were good neighbours.

He wondered how the site would be developed to mitigate flood risk, and said it was 'a bit of a swamp” at times.

Wikotu said it would be good for that piece of land to be used.

Nearby resident Alana Patching had a different perspective, however, in that she would be sad to see the horses go and the green space developed.

'The thing I like is that there aren't any neighbours.”

She had rented the property for more than two years and had also not heard of any plans. Her garage had flooded several times in that period and she also wondered about flood mitigation.

The council said consultation on the plans has not yet been done and the need to do so would be identified during any future consent processes.

In a response to Local Democracy Reporting questions about the Clayton Rd sale, district development deputy chief executive Jean-Paul Gaston said a preferred developer identified for the land was undertaking due diligence.

'More information will be available once the due diligence period concludes over the next couple of months.”

That land was declared surplus at a council meeting in August last year.

Councillors will also receive an update on the council's financial situation and performance for the last eight months to February 28 in today's meeting.

- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.