Developers fight to build Queenstown’s largest hotel
The backers of Queenstown’s largest proposed hotel development want to build to almost double the allowable height limit and are fighting to continue without public input.
Brecon Street Partnership Ltd’s 468-room development includes two hotels across four buildings, a piazza and retail space. One building is nine storeys high.
It is planned for the site of an outdoor mini golf business, next to the Queenstown Cemetery and Lakeview Holiday Park.
The tallest building is four storeys higher than what is permitted under the District Plan, Queenstown Lakes District Council planners say.
They are also concerned at a lack of coach parking space and the effects of earthworks.
In his December 1 report, council planning practice manager Blair Devlin recommended the development be publicly notified.
However, the developers sought to comment on the recommendation and the proposal has now been put on hold until a decision is made on public notification by an independent commissioner.
Brecon Street Partnership director Graham Wilkinson anticipated a decision would be made this week. He declined to comment further.
Reports of constraints on tourism growth in Queenstown due to a lack of growth in the accommodation sector has led to a recent flurry of hotel proposals.
Queenstown Lakes mayor Jim Boult said late last year that Queenstown had 588 consented and unbuilt hotel rooms, 263 rooms under construction and another 1951 hotel rooms going for consent.
Wilkinson has developed other hotels in the resort including the Sofitel and St Moritz.
As director of the Generus Living Group, he is also involved in developing retirement villages.
According to planning documents the two buildings on the southern half of the site will accommodate a five-star hotel and will be six and seven storeys high.
The buildings on the northern side, bordering the cemetery, will contain a three-star hotel and he eight and nine storeys high – up to 27.7 metres.
The allowable limit on the site is 15.5 metres, decided by a council hearings panel as part of the Queenstown Town Centre plan change last year.
The developer suggested increasing the limit to 24 metres, but this was rejected by the panel, which decided buildings taller than 15.5 metres could be advanced via the resource consent process.
In his report, Devlin said the northern building would ‘‘visually dominate the Queenstown Cemetery, being far larger in scale, and not necessarily contribute to the amenity of this public space’’.
Twelve commercial premises are proposed on the ground floor and will include tourism, service, retail and dining activities, including licensed premises, and will have frontages onto the central piazza and Brecon St.
Devlin’s recommendation says the District Plan requires 10 onsite coach parks. Although the proposal includes plans for a 73-space basement car park, there is no provision for on-site coach parks.
‘‘The proposal is a major new hotel development providing 468 rooms. In total it will be the biggest hotel offering in Queenstown. It is undesirable that no on-site coach parking has been provided.’’
Coach parking was a major issue in Queenstown, he said.
Adverse effects arising from the lack of an on-site loading zone were also considered to be more than minor, he said.