Over 300 submissions on proposed Laurel Hills development

MORE than 300 people have had their say on a controversial Queenstown housing development.

The consultation period for the Laurel Hills Special Housing Area proposal ended yesterday, and 325 submissions had been received.

The proposal would involve 156 homes being built on 9.4ha of land along Ladies Mile.

It has fired up many residents of Shotover Country and Lake Hayes Estate, and the area’s community association prepared a damning submission outlining potential impacts of the development.

The submission outlines a range of problems affecting the suburbs, which it says are already struggling under the weight of traffic congestion, overcrowding at Shotover Primary School and a lack of community facilities.

But the development’s codirector said Laurel Hills was actually part of the solution, not the problem.

The association wants the council to decline the proposal, saying it was not an appropriate location.

‘‘This is locating more dwellings in a satellite suburb where there are no local services available.’’

Laurel Hills codirector Tim Allan had a different view.

While he said he could not comment on the draft submission specifically, he said business cases for transport funding were with the Government at present, and the ‘‘trigger point’’ for that investment was new development in the area.

‘‘Laurel Hills is actually part of the solution, not part of the problem.’’

He believed Laurel Hills was getting ‘‘an undue amount of attention’’ because it was adding a large number of houses in one hit, as opposed to the ‘‘death by 1000 cuts’’ approach of ad hoc development.

Queenstown Lakes District Council communications adviser Rebecca Pitts said the submissions were expected to be made available online next Tuesday.