The future of a plan that could expand an Outram subdivision to 41 lots is in the hands of a resource consent committee.
The hearings committee of commissioners, chairman Matthew McCallum-Clark, Rosalind Day-Cleavin and Cr Andrew Whiley spent yesterday listening to arguments for and against a plan that would mean a major expansion for the township.
Balmoral Developments wants to develop a 15-lot residential development at 94 Holyhead Rd in Outram, near the Taieri River.
In May, the company was granted consent for a subdivision with 26 residential lots at the site.
Later in the year it applied to subdivide a parcel of adjoining land into 15 residential lots.
The land is zoned rural, and is shown on the city's hazards register as being subject to liquefaction and flooding.
The establishment of new houses on sites of less than 15ha on rural-zoned land is a non-complying activity under the district plan.
Under the proposed second generation plan, expected to be completed next year, the minimum site would be 40ha.
There were eight submissions on the consent application: four opposed, three in support and one neutral.
Council planner Lianne Darby began the day's evidence, and recommended the committee not grant consent.
Ms Darby said the lots were ''significantly undersized'' for a rural zone, would be on high-class soils, and would have an effect of ''eradicating'' rural amenity at the location.
The applicants' counsel, Phil Page, said the history of the site made it different from a run-of-the-mill case.
The Ferguson family - the applicants are Cathrine and Neville Ferguson - bought the property in 1947, and had worked it as a market garden.
The fortunes of market gardening had diminished, and the family had ''progressively reduced'' the operation until 15 years ago, when they stopped altogether.
Mr Page said the case was ''peculiar'', as the plan change appeal meant the majority of the land was made residential, with 2.17ha remaining rural.
The reason was the council wanted a community wastewater scheme for the original subdivision, and half of the 2ha was required as a disposal field.
There had been ''a change of heart'' and more modern, efficient septic tank systems were seen as a better solution, and the disposal field was not required.
He said council ''capacity data'' showed while Outram was expected to be relatively well supplied with residential capacity until about 2033, the broader Taieri region would exhaust its capacity between 2018 and 2023.
''Any supply at Outram serves to relieve the pressure on Mosgiel and vice-versa.''
On the issue of high-class soils, Mr Page said the site was not in meaningful production, and the district plan rules stated such soils should be protected ''in a way that sustains the productive capacity of the land''.
He said a ''relatively remnant parcel'' of land with high class soil was not significant.
On the possibility of the failure of the flood bank by the Taieri River, he said the rest of Outram was behind the bank, and as the site was the highest area of land in the township, it was at the least risk of inundation.
Following Mr Page's submission, a line-up of consultants with expertise in areas including real estate, landscape and waste water gave evidence.
Environmental engineer Gary Dent said a drain would be built through the subdivision to a detention pond.
From there, water would be pumped back into the Taieri River near the bridge.
Mr Dent said the system would deal with a one-in-100-year rain event.
Paterson Pitts registered surveyor Kurt Bowen said the modest size of the land, and the confining features of the river and highway, meant it was more suited for residential use.
Outram resident Patricia Scott said she was not sure how many people in Outram realised the subdivision added extra homes to those already consented at the site.
It was also only one of a number of subdivisions being developed in the town.
Mrs Scott said the change of land use in new Zealand from food production to residential would have ''serious consequences'' for the country.
At the end of submissions, Ms Darby said she had not changed her view consent should be declined.
The committee adjourned to make a decision.
