Dividing the Nevis Valley into two separate landscape classifications under the Central Otago district plan was wrong and it should be considered as one outstanding natural landscape, the Environment Court was told yesterday.
The Otago Fish and Game Councils and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust have both appealed plan changes relating to the Nevis Valley. Those appeals are being heard at the same time as appeals to a special tribunal decision on amending the existing water conservation order on the Nevis River.
Judge Jon Jackson and commissioners John Mills and Kathryn Edmonds heard the first submissions yesterday in the hearing, which has been set down to take three weeks.
A three-tier classification of rural landscapes was among the district plan changes introduced by the Central Otago District Council. Areas were defined as either an "outstanding natural landscape", which had the highest level of protection, a "significant amenity landscape" or "other rural landscape".
Part of the Nevis was defined as outstanding and part as a significant landscape.
Fish and Game Council lawyer Maree Baker-Galloway said the valley should be considered in its entirely as one outstanding natural landscape.
The district council said the "significant" classification reflected some of the footprint of a potential dam should hydro development happen on the river, and was necessary to ensure the district plan was not inconsistent with the current water conservation order, Ms Baker-Galloway said.
That was "disingenuous and misguided", Ms Baker-Galloway said.
"This determination did not appear to be on the basis of its landscape values per se, but instead on the potential for hydro development," Ms Baker-Galloway said.
Phil Page, for the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, said the whole of the Nevis catchment should be amended in the district plan to "outstanding natural landscape".
The valley contained a range of historic features and recognising all of it as outstanding would help ensure those features were given weight in any resource consent application.
Mike Holm, for the Central Otago Environmental Society, also said the Nevis was a single cohesive outstanding landscape.
