The developer behind a proposed three-storey student apartment and commercial building in North Dunedin has been told to think again.
John Cutler, of Cutler Investments Ltd, has applied for resource consent to build the mixed three-storey residential and commercial building on residential land at 709 Great King St.
The application is to be considered by the Dunedin City Council's hearings committee next week, but consultant planner Nigel Bryce has concluded the committee cannot consider granting consent for the ''unacceptable'' development.
Mr Cutler's plan would see the partial demolition of an existing warehouse on site, which already housed residential flats and commercial tenants, to make room for the three new six-bedroom flats.
The new development would lift the total number of residential rooms on site to 31, which was more than the 28 allowed there by district plan rules, Mr Bryce's report to the committee said.
And, as well as exceeding density rules, the development would also breach other technical rules governing site coverage, height planes and boundary setbacks, making it a non-complying activity, he said.
The proposal has attracted five submissions, four of them opposed, including one from Barbara Kennedy, who worried the development's height would shade her own at 705 Great King St.
So, too, did Ross Whitburn, who argued the development would have too many rooms, not enough outdoor space, and cause shading problems for surrounding properties he owned.
Mr Bryce agreed it was ''reasonable'' to conclude the development would increase shading problems for Mr Whitburn's property at 853 Cumberland St, and had ''the potential to result in a significant level of visual dominance''.
Traffic arising from the project would not be an issue, but the extra demand on water and wastewater services in the area would be, he added.
The existing wastewater network already experienced ''surcharge and flooding issues downstream'' during a 1-in-10-year rainfall event, he said.
Adding so many new units to the site ''has the potential to exacerbate'' those issues, but those concerns would be alleviated if the size of the development was reduced by three rooms, he said.
The development would occur in an area of ageing housing in North Dunedin, but failed to comply with the Resource Management Act and was considered ''unacceptable'', he said.
However, the development could be considered ''more acceptable'' if design changes led to a reduced density on site, perhaps by removing three planned rooms on the top level of one apartment, he said.
The suggestion, and the applicant's case, would be considered when the council hearings committee met on September 24.
