Board opposing plan change

THE Cromwell Community Board is opposing a plan change that would allow a new town to be built near Cromwell, and is asking the Central Otago District Council to make a submission against the proposal.

Board chairman Neil Gillespie announced yesterday board members had decided unanimously at an informal meeting on Wednesday night to ask the council to lodge a submission against plan change 13.

The private plan change, lodged by River Terrace Development Ltd, is to rezone 49.8ha of land on the corner of SH6 and Sandflat Rd, opposite the Highlands Motorsport Park and near the Central Motor Speedway. River Terrace Developments then wants to build 840 houses there, as well as a retirement village, cafes, restaurants, shops, a medical centre and possibly a school.

The application has attracted 417 submissions, 410 of which are against the application, and some residents and board members have called for the board to also make a submission against the proposal.

Mr Gillespie said board members had had ‘‘a lot of discussion’’ about whether to make a submission against the plan change, acknowledging the opposition to it within the community but also the need to follow due process.

There was also the question of whether making a submission would mean the board should consider making submissions on other plan changes.

In the end the board decided to oppose the plan change, and board members decided the best way to do that would be to ask the council to make a submission against it, Mr Gillespie said.

A report on the issue would be discussed by the council at its next meeting next week, he said.