No appeal; new plans ordered
AN Environment Court appeal over Dunedin’s latest fivestar hotel bid was withdrawn yesterday, but the man behind the project says he is not giving up yet.
Tekapo businessman Anthony Tosswill said, when contacted, he blamed recent Otago Daily Times coverage for a public backlash against the latest design.
The response left him with ‘‘no choice’’ but to go back to the drawing board again.
‘‘We are now having to come up with a whole new design, and as a developer, spend an immense amount more money to be able to lodge a new design for approval,’’
Mr Tosswill would not confirm his next steps or give a timeline, but said he was not giving up.
‘‘I’m going to give Dunedin one more chance.’’
His comments came after a panel of independent commissioners last year declined consent for the hotel project, prompting Mr Tosswill’s appeal to the Environment Court.
Mediation talks were adjourned earlier this year, to allow a revised design to be tabled in an attempt to reach agreement.
Mr Tosswill unveiled a revised design last week, but said he was not happy with the changes, which he described as ‘‘terrible’’.
His team had until today to file an update with the court, but instead, in a memorandum filed yesterday, said they were ‘‘not in a position to present a set of revised plans for mediation’’.
The ‘‘most appropriate way forward’’ was to proceed with a fresh application, possibly by way of a request for direct referral to the court, it said.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dougal McGowan said, when contacted, he remained hopeful a new, visually appealing and financially sustainable design would emerge.