The $80m tertiary development recently proposed for Tauranga's central business district by Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Chief Executive Alan Hampton will add vitality to the city centre and provide a great boost to the local economy.

A joint project between the Polytechnic and University of Waikato, the proposal has been developed to deal with rapidly increasing student numbers, which are expected to continue into the future. This year alone has
seen a 44% increase in students at Waikato University's Tauranga campus across all areas of study.

A key challenge for our local economy is the attraction and retention of young people. A city centre tertiary precinct will make a really positive difference to the community. As a city we'll also benefit from having lots of bright young creative and entrepreneurial minds in the city.

The development is proposed for the Tauranga City Council owned car park on Durham Street and could be up to 12 storeys high, including a car park and possibly tertiary related shops and cafes. It would link into the main shopping areas in a dynamic and live way to become the core of a ‘tertiary precinct' in the CBD. If the plans go ahead, Bongard centre could be refurbished and used as accommodation for up to 250 students. Investment funding would be sought for the development, which could commence construction by 2013.