Opposition mounting against SHA
OPPOSITION is mounting to a proposed Special Housing Area (SHA) subdivision off Cemetery Rd in Lake Hawea, but the developer says the project will benefit the community.
Universal Developments owner Lane Hocking said the proposal, which would result in 800 to 1000 lots being created on a 122ha block, had not yet been formally put to the Queenstown Lakes District Council, although there had been two open days at the site to gauge community feeling.
The developers hope to develop the subdivision as a Special Housing Area, allowing project to be fasttracked under the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act and so bypass the Resource Management Act.
Volunteer organisation Keep Hawea Beautiful has started a petition against the proposal, which will be sent to the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development.
In a press release last week, the organisation raised concerns that a Special Housing Area in Hawea was not needed, as other lots in the area were yet to sell, including at Sentinel Park and Timsfield.
‘‘The consensus was that there needs to be a stop to his SHA proposal and move into a traditional rezoning application, as the SHA process is seemingly a railroad technique to introduce a large number of sections into the housing market at Hawea as quickly as possible with as little communication as possible,’’ the release said.
Other concerns raised by the organisation included increased numbers of people and vehicles in the area, which could have negative flowon effects such as noise, light pollution, additional boats on the lake, empty holiday homes, higher rental prices, unaffordable houses, and loss of wildlife due to plant and habitat removal.
The petition was launched last month and already contains several pages of signatures. The organisation is also calling for a community meeting rather than a developerdriven session.
Hawea residents and petition signatories Rus and Rosalie Metzger have lived in the area for four years and have a house next door to the proposed development.
Mr Metzger was concerned that Hawea would lose its rural character if the development went ahead. The township did not have the roads or services to support an influx of people and the subdivision should not be fasttracked while there were other lots yet to be sold, he said.
‘‘It’s all well and good these guys wanting to make money off their land but not at the expense of the community.’’
Mr Hocking said consultation would continue throughout the application process. The Hawea Community Association had also planned a community meeting about the proposal, he said.
‘‘Part of the reason we did the open days was to get feedback from people and there were mixed feelings — some were negative, some were positive, some were neutral.
‘‘We expect when there’s a project in a new location . . . there will be some concerns from some elements of the community.
‘‘It’s our job to educate them and try and put forward why we think this is the good proposal, the merit it has, and also emphasise that it’s not going to be very large and in their face tomorrow.’’
He said the project was a ‘‘master planning idea’’ that would be implemented long term. He estimated the proposed lots would be filled in 15 to 25 years.
While he acknowledged the SHA was designed to allow developments to be fasttracked, it also had its ‘‘checks and balances’’.
The deed between the council and the developer ‘‘dictates all the components of the development and the council constantly refers to that deed and makes sure the developer is doing what the deed laid out’’.
The benefits of the subdivision included more parks, reserves and playgrounds, along with more housing choices in the district, he said. A formal expression of interest was likely to be lodged with the council in the coming months.
The petition organisers say the petition is available at Sailz Cafe and Soulfoods. — The News