Company pursuing alternative retirement village plans

A QUEENSTOWN developer has pulled plans for one retirement village, but is pressing ahead with a similarsized second village, nearby.

Chris Meehan’s company, Winton, had proposed a 162unit village, with 36 care units, on the western paddocks of his historic Ayrburn farm, between Arrowtown and Lake Hayes.

During a recent Environment

Court hearing, however, this proposal was withdrawn.

Winton ‘‘instead elected to pursue a rezoning for lifestyle lots on this part of Ayrburn’’, Queenstown general manager Lauren Christie said.

The company was still pursuing another retirement village — comprising 162 units, 17 serviced apartments and 23 care units — at nearby Waterfall Park. Winton originally planned a 380room hotel and spa on this site.

‘‘Winton’s base case was always to convert our existing consent for a 380room hotel in Ayrburn’s northern precinct into a retirement village,’’ Ms Christie said.

‘‘Site works and roading works in this area are well under way and are progressing well.’’

In 2020, during the first Covid19 lockdown, Mr Meehan said that he was parking his hotelspa plans because of the hit the tourism industry was taking due to closed borders.

‘‘The expansion of Queenstown’s agedcare industry is an important diversification away from Queenstown’s traditional tourism base and will positively impact the local economy both financially and socially,’’ he said.

Despite the existing Queenstown and Arrowtown retirement villages, he was in no doubt another one would be viable ‘‘due to the ageing population and current undersupply’’.

‘‘Forecasts expect demand growth over the next decade of about 1000 units from existing retirees and future retirees currently living in the region.’’

However, his plans for a village on his rural land — now abandoned — did not progress smoothly.

He had not been successful in getting approvals via either ‘‘special housing area’’ rules or a fasttrack resource consent.