A 15-lot subdivision on Stratford Creek Station at Lowburn has been approved by the Central Otago District Council hearings panel.
The application was from Swann Rd Farm Ltd and the panel released the decision last week after a hearing on January 29.
The 377ha area, a sheep and beef farm on Swann Rd, Lowburn, was subject to outstanding natural landscape, significant amenity landscape and active geological fault notations, the decision said.
The 15 sections, to be held in 13 titles, range in size from 1.71ha to 117.02ha. Some of the smaller sections will be amalgamated; some, with productive farmland, will be retained by the owner; and the largest one is earmarked for further subdivision into rural lifestyle blocks.
The decision said the average lot size would be 9.57ha and the subdivision therefore ''qualified for consideration'' as a discretionary activity in the rural resource area.
The portions subject to the outstanding natural landscape notation were being retained as farmland.
The cluster of development at the northern end of Swan Rd would have a limited effect on landscape and amenity values, the decision said. However, future development on some lots would be visible from public places.
Some submitters had been concerned about extra traffic at the intersection of State Highway 6 and Lowburn Valley Rd, but any concerns should be addressed by road controlling authorities, the decision said.
It also noted the Pisa fault zone passed through the subdivision. But seismic risk was low, and any effects from hazards could be mitigated.
The subdivision was approved with conditions.
