The sound of applause greeted Tauranga City Council's decision to keep the land that it owns alongside Takitimu Drive today.

The applause came from residents, whose opposition became a major factor in the realisation that the process would not be cost effective.

The land in question, alongside Takitimu Drive. Photo: File.

Councillors voted to keep the eight sections it was hoping to sell, on the basis that the costs of progressing the sales outweigh the potential benefits.

'This is an instance where the likely financial and community cost of the decision may be higher than the opportunity to repay debt or put the proceeds of the sale towards another activity,” says the staff report.

Councillor John Robson says there is financial information relating to the eight sections that is not included in the report, and he hoped information regarding numbers and values would be placed on public record 'at some point”.

Robson and Matt Cowley spoke in favour of the evidence-based process underpinning the report. The decision to look at selling the land was made by the previous city council in 2012 in order to reduce debt.

Councillor Gail McIntosh challenged the report in relation to two sections at the end of Fourth Avenue already accessed by road and the only two zoned as residential. She abstained from voting.

Obstacles facing the council included the fact that only six of the eight sections were able to be sold.

The council is prevented from selling 98 and 99 Sixth Avenue, with the law stating that this land should be kept for the purposes for which the property was originally vested.

The remaining four sections would have to go through a public consultation processes over the decision to sell – a process that could take a year.

The staff report states a key issue is that the land is perceived to have 'an intangible value to the local community and Iwi”.

The council has also received a petition signed by 1076 people opposing the sale.