A block of land near Alexandra, which was originally going to be used for small, ‘‘affordable'' sections, may now be subdivided into larger plots.
An application to subdivide two Springvale titles in the rural residential resource area into 15 allotments has been lodged with the Central Otago District Council.
Shaun and Gregor McLellan have applied for consent to create a subdivision off lower Waikerikeri Valley Rd. Thirteen of the lots would have areas of 2ha to 2.44ha; the others would be 27.4ha and 69.95ha.
Building platforms with an area of 30m by 30m have been identified on each of the proposed allotments.
Shaun McLellan was initially going to create small sections for affordable housing on the land, but discovered the development did not comply with the district plan.
He said he had considered the landscape when designing the latest subdivision proposal, and tried to provide plenty of green space and leave the tops of the surrounding hills unimpeded.
The proposed subdivision is within an area identified as having significant sensitivity. Mr McLellan says the extensive landscape can accommodate new developments provided they are well designed.
He noted in his application the landscape assessment on which the significant sensitivity rating was based had not taken into account the extensive developments already with consent but not yet built.
They included the McArthur Ridge development and two Big Sky developments, involving several hundred allotments.
The large Melview development, which will involve the construction of a golf course and resort with high-density living is also before the council.
Submissions on the Springvale subdivision proposal close on April 7.
