PLANNING POTENTIAL: Landco plans a residential development, shown in yellow, lifestyle blocks, in blue, and conservation reserves, in green, for the Ngunguru Sandspit.

Residents opposing development of Ngunguru sandspit feel buoyed by a delay in its resource consent application.

Private company Landco announced initial plans for its 152-hectare iconic property in November 2006, including 350 houses and 84 hectares of reserves.

At the time it said it would apply for resource consents in 2007.

However, the company is still looking at its design and has not lodged its application with the Whangarei District Council.

Spokesman George Hulbert says the planning has taken a little bit longer than orginally stated but the company is still continuing with the design phase.

The Ngunguru Sandspit Protection Society – an incorporated society opposed to the development – says the delay is mostly good news.

Secretary Rick Bazeley says the longer the process drags on, the less likely it is that the sandspit will be built on.

There is an increasing awareness of climate change, he says, with both district councils and the Insurance Council becoming more aware of the risks.

"There is less likelihood of council and insurance companies allowing building projects on coastal hazards and known flood zones," he says.

He believes the economic environment for housing developments is deteriorating, making the project less viable.

Mr Bazeley says there is also increasing awareness about the value of the sandspit, which has been identified as an iconic and outstanding natural landscape.

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