Close to 300 people will be giving their views on city councillors' plans for the future of Tauranga City over the next couple of days.

The Long Term Plan hearings begin tomorrow and Thursday, and resume next Monday and Tuesday.

The hearings give ratepayers the opportunity to take their concerns or congratulations about the draft plan directly to councillors, who will then take the public response into account during the deliberations from May 29-31.

The LTP consultation process ran from March 16 to April 16 with more than 3200 submissions received.

The level of interest in the consultation shows Tauranga residents and ratepayers are keen to have their voices heard, says Mayor Greg Brownless.

'I want to thank our community for taking the time to express their views on our spending commitments, what kind of facilities they think we'll need in years to come, and what they think we should prioritise over the coming decade.

'We've had an excellent response from our community and we'll use this feedback to help shape the way we manage our growing city.”

Most submissions are on the key topics outlined in the consultation document: rating structure changes; investment in public transport and roading; waste and recycling options; museum and library proposals; elder housing provision; funding for the tourism sector; and tsunami alerts and resilience.

The council also received submissions on the cycle plan, as well as other topics such as sport and community facilities; boardwalks and walkways; parks and reserve areas; environmental and harbour issues; city centre development; youth engagement; multicultural Tauranga and diversity; volunteers; disability; and homelessness.

Hearings begin Wednesday, May 9 at 9am and will run until 5pm on Tuesday, May 15.

Visit the city council website for the hearings agenda and copies of all submissions.