Speaking to the Otago Daily Times outside the hearing, Melview's director of commercial and legal affairs Warwick Goldsmith said that, in order to obtain finance, the company needed a bankable proposition.
That meant it has to have certainty the proposed development could proceed as of right.
The CODC planning consultant David Whitney is recommending activities be discretionary (restricted), which would mean no certainty consent would be granted.
Planning consultant Jeff Brown, of Brown and Pemberton, in Queenstown, told the panel the $500 million development, which included a five-star hotel complex, was not to be taken lightly.
Queenstown had only one five-star hotel, opened last year, and three more were being built.
Melview would be a huge boost for Central Otago, as a large employer and attracting many tourists to the area.
Melview Developments owner and sole shareholder Nigel McKenna said McArthur Ridge would be his 10th hotel development.
He told the panel he was taking an entirely different approach to applying for a resource consent by master planning the whole area in advance.
"New Zealand doesn't have a global level luxury health spa and we have taken it one step further and introduced an ecologically sustainable health spa, which is yet another international point of difference," he said.
Radio New Zealand, which has a large tower and ancillary buildings on the site, asked that clauses be included to prevent dust entering the large fans that cooled its transmitter.
It also asked that any housing development near the transmitter be discretionary, rather than controlled (as of right).
The Fire Service sought security over fire-fighting concerns, which it said had been sorted out with Melview before the hearing started yesterday.
The Department of Conservation said it had found solutions to the issues it had in recent discussions with Melview.
The hearing was adjourned.
