Tourism ventures seek land use consent
TWO restaurants, a winery and travellers’ accommodation are proposed in applications set to come before the Central Otago District Council (CODC) hearings panel.
Applications to be discussed by the panel on Tuesday include one for land use consent to establish a restaurant/ cafe at the Freeway Orchard site, near Cromwell, and another for land use consent to operate a restaurant and bar in Naseby.
The restaurant at Freeway Orchard would be known as The Stoaker Room. The applicant, Quintin Brady Quider, is the operator of the Wild Earth restaurant and cellar door operation at the Goldfields Mining Centre, in the Kawarau Gorge, but the lease expired in September and new premises were required, the report from CODC planning consultant Kirstyn Lindsay said.
The proposed restaurant would seat up to 125 patrons between a tasting room, uncovered courtyard and outside marquee.
The Naseby application is from Off Road Expeditions Queenstown Ltd and would enable the Naseby Lodge to open its restaurant and function facilities to the public.
It is for land use consent to operate a restaurant and bar at 28 Derwent St in conjunction with an existing travellers’ accommodation and function venue.
The applicant was not seeking to increase the number of guests hosted (65), but wanted to increase the nature and frequency of the activity, a report from Ms Lindsay said.
The restaurant would use an existing outdoor seating and fireplace area and no amplified music was proposed, she said.
The new consent, if granted, would authorise all current and proposed activities on the site and the existing consent would be surrendered.
The panel will also consider an application from P. A. and M. E. Bramwell and D. Schumack for land use consent to allow travellers’ accommodation and the sale of food and beverages to guests at the former Ben Nevis Station, in the Nevis Valley.
The applicant proposes to host up to 14 guests in two existing buildings.
An application from Mt Difficulty Wines for land use consent to build a winery, function centre and for associated earthworks at Bannockburn will also come before the panel.
The multimilliondollar expansion was announced in September this year.
Mt Difficulty general manager and winemaker Matt Dicey said at the time the development would see a new 80seater restaurant built underneath the existing tasting facility, which would be expanded. A new car park will also be built.