Four Wakatipu developer proposals given tick
Arrowtown stays untouched
Negotiations with the developers behind four Queenstown Special Housing Area proposals will proceed but Arrowtown will remain untouched for now.
More than 80 people crammed into the Queenstown Lakes District Council chambers as 11 proposals for hundreds of homes in the Wakatipu were considered under a Housing Accord forced on the council by central Government.
Council chief executive Adam Feeley was notably absent from his regular seat following news last week the Office of the Auditor-General is investigating his involvement in establishing the accord and a later expression of interest by his family for one of the proposed developments.
The aim of the accord is to free up supply of land for residential housing and proposals which ultimately gain SHA status will face only limited notification when they apply for resource consent.
The council is tasked with making recommendations of suitable sites to the Government but on Wednesday sidestepped formalising any recommendations, instead opting to proceed with negotiations on proposals for 95 lots of Shotover Country, 40 lots at Arthurs Point North, 22 lots at Onslow Rd, Lake Hayes Estate and 18 lots at Highview Terrace, in St Andrews Park.
Under a motion drafted by Cr Cath Gilmour the infrastructure requirements of the four proposals would be assessed at the proponent’s cost and confirmation from the NZ Transport Agency, Otago Regional Council and MInistry of Education that the proposal developments were suitable, would be sought.
Recommendations to government would follow based on the results. Then the Government would decide whether they were granted SHA status.
Several councillors expressed reservations about the Highview Terrace site due to its steep nature, a creek though the middle and annual permafrost but agreed to proceed to the next stage.
Council planners had also recommended the council also consider three controversial developments outside of the Arrowtown urban boundary.
Cr Mal Gazzard supported the 62-lot Brackens Ridge development but Gilmour’s motion explicitly excluded all of the remaining proposals.
However, it did call for a report on broader issues of housing affordability in the district including balancing the housing needs and special character of Arrowtown.
‘‘Somewhere along the line Arrowtown has to accept responsibility for its share of the growth. They can’t chuck it all on the wider Wakatipu because they don’t want it either,’’ she said.