Fifteen appeals have been lodged against the Central Otago District Council’s proposed district plan change.
Plan change 19 was publicly notified by the council for 30 working days after its May meeting and the Environment Court received 15 appeals against it.
A council spokeswoman said the council had been granted leave to "undertake informal discussions with parties and to report back to the court at the end of January".
Deputy mayor and hearings panel chairman Neil Gillespie said it was one of the most significant changes to the district plan in years.
It resulted in "new land being zoned for residential use, identification of some areas for future growth, the alignment of existing residential zoning with the proposed new zones".
It had also provided new provisions for managing land use and subdivisions within the residential zones, in anticipation of growth over the next 30 years.
