The Dunedin City Council has declined consent for homes to be built on an 11-lot subdivision near Evansdale.
Blueskin Bay Forest Heights Ltd applied for consent to establish houses on each of 11 lots of a 75ha subdivision at Wright Rd, Evansdale, and a hearing was held in October, last year.
Consent had already been approved for rural allotments ranging in size from 6ha-9ha, but that did not include land use consent for residential activity.
The site is a rural zone, and council planner Andrew Henderson recommended it be declined as a non-complying activity.
There were submissions from 27 people, all but one of whom opposed the project, with concerns ranging from the visual impact, to effects on native birds and flora, loss of amenity values on neighbouring land, traffic, and the possible housing density.
The hearings committee, councillors Colin Weatherall, Richard Walls, Andrew Noone and Waikouaiti Community Board member Andrew Barratt, said in its decision the proposal would have an adverse visual effect, would affect rural character and amenity values, and would result in "an unfortunate concentration and alignment of dwellings".
