A former councillor is imploring Western Bay of Plenty District Council to look at ways to strengthen affordable housing in the region despite rising land costs standing in the way.

Tauranga Community Housing Trust chairperson Jo Gravit believes insufficient recognition of changing family structures and a general lack of affordable housing is causing big headaches in the sub region.

Tauranga Community Housing Trust manager Chris Johnstone outside the Clarke Street development. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

'This year is really important for us all in coming to grips with what's happening in our community. We are ageing, our demographic is changing and the number of people aspiring to own their own home is dropping,” says Jo.

'It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain accommodation for less than 30 per cent of income. This is the agreed national baseline for affordability.”

Speaking on her submission to WBOPDC's 2014/2015 annual plan, Jo believes there is now more demand for one and two bedrooms and rental or ownership options that are affordable on one income – but adequate choices of affordable housing within the sub region remain unchanged.

She requests council give priority to creating a Council Housing Affordability Policy and incorporate age friendly principles into future planning.

By using universal design accessibility standards in future policies it is seen as a positive investment over a lifetime of the building.

Jo does commends the council on its 70 pensioner units – 19 in Waihi Beach, 17 in Katikati and 34 in Te Puke – and active participation in the Housing Affordability Forum.

A major problem facing the region is the cost of residential zoned land, often not near social infrastructure or bus routes, something the trust continues to face – at present unable to relocate eight existing units.

The trust is currently developing 14 purpose-built units – eight one-bedroom and six two-bedroom units, totally 20 bedrooms, for people of mixed ages and abilities – expected to be finished by October.

A year ago the trust was given a $1.7m government cash injection to help develop the age-friendly affordable housing village.

The grant is part of the Government's latest $16.4m funding round towards building affordable social housing.

But the eight existing one-bedroom units removed to make way for the development are yet to be re-located to a suitable site in the Western Bay of Plenty because of these costs, something Jo says is up to $80,000 for necessary infrastructure on top of the land.

'We can provide housing solutions but the difference is we cannot find sites, because it's the cost of the land.”