The Queenstown Lakes District Council’s Strategy Committee will be asked to consider a recommendation to accept in part a plan change that could see a significant area of rural zoned land west of Queenstown developed for residential use, QLDC general manager policy and planning Philip Pannett said.

The 120 hectare property, located on Stalker Road and bordered by the Shotover River on the west, would become a Special Zone under Part 12 of the District Plan, providing for the establishment of approximately 750 residential dwellings as well as space for a small scale convenience retail outlet.

“The commissioners have recommended that Plan Change 41 be accepted subject to amendment,” Mr Pannett said. “In making their decision they have considered not only the objectives, policies and rules of the District Plan but also a number of Council strategies that have been adopted but at this stage sit outside the plan.”

Some of the Council’s guiding (non-statutory) documents such as the Queenstown Growth Management Strategy and Tomorrow’s Queenstown suggest that the plan change was not necessary at this stage but the commissioners had also given weighting to future planning.

“The commissioners viewed the land in question as being possibly the last area in the Wakatipu basin of reasonable scale which broadly met the requirements for residential development,” Mr Pannett said.

In light of that it was felt appropriate to deviate outside the normal District Plan time span of ten years and secure the land for urban development well into the future.

The commissioners considered that the site had potential for good residential amenity with little if any detrimental effect on the landscape. There was also the ability to provide critical mass for public transport, retail and education facilities in conjunction with Lake Hayes Estate.

“The benefits of the site, in the opinion of the commissioners, outweigh any potential adverse effects generated by the development,” Mr Pannett said.

Recommendations for amendments to the plan change included provision for education facilities within the site and provision for 26 residential sites for affordable housing.

The recommendation will be presented to the Strategy Committee for adoption on Tuesday 11 October. If adopted, the decision will be notified, subject to appeal to the Environment Court.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Philip Pannett 03 441 0499

By: Andrea Bunting