This area of Poraiti in Napier is set aside for a possible housing development and pool development. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
A group of Napier residents have expressed their frustration amid claims the city council is working behind closed doors to approve a new housing development.
Residents say they have "credible sources" telling them the council is making plans for housing on ratepayer owned land.
This is beside land possibly earmarked for a pool, along Prebensen Drive in Poraiti.
These residents claim the council has allowed the land to be spilt up in thirds - one third for affordable homes, one for open market and another for social development with the government's social housing arm Kāinga Ora.
Resident Mike Smith said he had written to the Napier mayor.
"I am becoming increasingly frustrated that Napier's council is refusing to release any information at all," he told RNZ.
"This does not make sense. I am not asking for commercially sensitive and confidential figures. I simply want to know what the council has decided."
Japp Knegtmans, speaking on behalf of relatives who live near the site, said the council's actions were "undemocratic and not transparent".
"The ratepayers of Napier deserve better - as it's their land, they should have the right to be part of the planning process."
The council has discussed the item in public excluded meetings for nearly a year.
Mayor Kirsten Wise said she was "all about being open and transparent".
"But if there's valid reasons for something to be done on a public excluded agenda, which in this case it was around commercial sensitivities, then that is the course of action that we need to take as a council," she said.
"There's no final transaction being done. We are in the process of reviewing what information is there is on hand... there's a process that we need to work through in terms of deciding what we will take out of public excluded and release to the community."
When asked if the community would get their say she said: "I couldn't comment on what the process will be from here, it may well be the case.
"But like I said, we're certainly at this point of time at this time just having to review what information we are going to release and share with the community."
Kāinga Ora declined to comment.
