A 92-year-old Arataki woman's distressed plea for community safety from unruly youths in a nearby alleyway is getting Tauranga City's new council to sit up and take notice.

The woman is one of 41 residents living in the area around the alleyway, between Francevic Ave and Ocean Downs Reserve, petitioning for Tauranga City Council to close the path because of anti-social problems.

The alleyway causing residents headaches.

Tauranga City councillors have agreed to install security lighting in the path after hearing a detailed letter at the council's city delivery committee yesterday.

In the detailed letter, the concerned Arataiki resident says she has twice caught children climbing the fence into her property and her house has been burgled.

'As well as all the graffiti, there are bottles smashed in the walkway after drinking sessions, leaving a dangerous mess. Beer cans have been thrown over the fence; and a few years ago a bottle was thrown over the fence,” the letter reads.

Other issues include eggs and rotten fruit being thrown at the side of her house and stones thrown at the garage door.

An expensive urn was also taken from a neighbour's house and smashed in the alleyway.

TCC councillor Steve Morris is aware this is the third time the petition has come before council in the last 10 years with no solution sought yet.

'Just speaking to one of the residents the first two petitions had far more than this one. Being the third time it has come before council some of the residents of the first two have lost some hope,” says Steve.

'This is a really unpleasant area; there's just a real bad element that needs to be knocked on the head.”

Other options proposed at yesterday's meeting include moving an existing street lamp closer to the accessway as well as a security camera for the area.

Tauranga City Council senior traffic engineer Wayne Thompson accepts council's suggestions and need for looking at the area, estimating moving the existing light could cost about $1000.

'I think we just need to try and do what we can and try and negate the number of anti-social behaviour that there is.”

Wayne says the council cannot just close the accessway because it doubles as a stormwater flow path; and closing the accessway could have a negative impact on run-off during heavy rain, resulting in nearby properties being flooded.

'Because it is stormwater there is no way we can legally close it off without creating future damage.

'If we close it partially, we would still have the hooligans climbing the fence.”

A council report states the 33m long accessway has good visibility from one end to the other and it's designated as an overflow stormwater path with adjacent properties sitting about one metre above the level of the accessway.