At a commissioner's hearing in Queenstown yesterday, lawyer Jim Castiglione represented Mr Hill in opposition to plan change 30, which proposes to set boundaries around settlements.
He asked the commissioners to reject the plan change, but if they did not, he wanted them to include Mr Hill's property into the plan to "enable future growth and development on the land".
Mr Castiglione said Mr Hill did not have any plans to develop or subdivide his property, but did not want to "feel stymied" and the plan change would remove opportunities. There was no need to "tinker" with the district plan.
"This plan change is neither justified nor necessary," he said.
Mr Hill's submission said he was opposed to the plan change because there was no evidence there was a problem with how growth was being managed at the moment.
He said the plan change was poorly conceived, unjustified and would lead to an inefficient use of land.
It would also exacerbate affordable housing issues.
"Plan change 30 fails to represent sustainable management of the use, development or protection of natural and physical resources in any way or at a rate which enables people and communities to be improved for their social, economic and cultural wellbeing and for their health and safety," it said.
Planning consultant John Kyle made a submission on behalf of Mr Hill.
He said the plan change should be withdrawn because it failed to achieve sustainable management and was contrary to the Resource Management Act.
The plan change was an attempt to "squeeze" more people into urban areas without putting plans in place to upgrade necessary infrastructure such as parking and schools for extra people, he said.
Mr Hill was granted resource consent to build 17 subterranean dwellings on and around his Arrowtown golf course last June.
Willowridge, the company behind the Three Parks development in Wanaka also submitted against the plan change at the hearing.
Last December, the Queenstown Lakes District Council approved the rezoning of Willowridge's land to make way for a commercial development including a secondary retail precinct for Wanaka.
The company's environment planner Alison Noble called the plan change inappropriate and unneccessary.
It disadvantaged smaller towns by directing 85% of the district's urban development to Queenstown and Wanaka.
It would unduly inhibit growth of communities like Cardrona and Kingston.
"Plan change 30 will result in inappropriate boundaries set around settlements leading to poor planning outcomes for the district," she said She appealed to commissioners to include rural living zones into boundaries.
Queenstown residents Dame Elizabeth and Murray Hanan submitted in support of the plan change.
Dame Elizabeth said the plan change was necessary to stop urban sprawl and protect the natural landscape of rural Wakatipu.
A total 120 submissions were received on the plan change, of which only 23 supported or partly supported the proposals.
