Expanding travellers' accommodation at Roxburgh East would help cater for the boost in visitor numbers expected as two cycling and walking trails open in the area, a hearings panel was told this week.
Christine Bennenbroek has applied to the Central Otago District Council for resource consent to expand accommodation on the Roxburgh East Rd.
The property was formerly known as the Teviot County Motels and is now called the Clutha Gold Cottages. The council's hearings panel reserved its decision on the matter.
Council planning consultant David Whitney said the site was in the rural resource area and establishing accommodation for more than six people required land-use consent.
Ms Bennenbroek and her ex-husband bought the property more than seven years ago. Mr Whitney said the council's records did not reveal whether planning consent was ever granted for the motels.
''We understand that the motels have been in existence for many years and it is possible that these motels were either granted planning consent by the former Tuapeka County Council or are subject to existing use rights.
"In our view it would be appropriate to make the existing motel units subject to the current application, to put this matter beyond any doubt,'' he said.
Ms Bennenbroek applied for consent for a backpackers' house with accommodation for up to 10 people, six power sites for self-contained motor homes and six tent sites to cater for up to 20 visitors.
At peak times in summer, the site hosted up to 50 people, she said.
Demand was growing for more accommodation and with the creation of the Roxburgh Gorge and Clutha Gold trails, she expected visitor numbers to increase and demand to ''spread out over a longer time of the year, as it has done on the [Otago] Central Rail Trail ... ''
The only opposition to Ms Bennenbroek's application came from her former husband and Nicki Johnston, who own a neighbouring property. T
hey were concerned about buildings converted into accommodation facilities during the past four years and also raised concerns about the effluent system, the driveway and the adequacy of the water supply.
