Signs indicating work is to begin have already been placed on the site of a proposed 189-section housing subdivision in Alexandra, and trees are set to be felled.
Ngāi Tahu Property general manager Blair Forgie said it was planning to develop 14.4ha on the Clyde-Alexandra road.
"The project will be rolled out in seven stages, eventually offering a range of section sizes from 320sqm to 2175sqm, with a total of 189 sections. This development will contribute to the much-needed availability of land for newly built homes in the Central Otago region," he said.
Bordered by the Alexandra Golf Club, State Highway8, Dunstan Park and Dunstan Rd, the area known as The Pines is now a pine forest.
The clearance work should be completed by the end of the year, Mr Forgie said.
Earthworks for the first stages of the development would begin after that.
"Ngāi Tahu Property is looking forward to delivering this residential development to support the growth of the region over the years to come," he said.
Consent for the earthworks was lodged with the Otago Regional Council in March, along with a subdivision consent to the Central Otago District Council.
However, the consent to clear trees was independent of the subdivision application, he said.
Vincent Community Board chairwoman Tamah Alley said as the consent application was before council she would not comment specifically on the proposed development.
However, the lack of sections available for building in the Vincent Ward was well documented and there was consensus that housing stock in Central Otago suffered from challenges with affordability and accessibility.
"As we have seen in other recent developments in Clyde and Cromwell, there is a place for private developers to contribute positively towards solving these challenges," she said.
The resource consent application to the district council outlines the seven-stage development. Stages one to five would be 128 residential lots and five "super lots".
Development of the lot for stages six and seven would not go ahead until remediation of lead contamination in that area had occurred and consents had been obtained from both councils, the application says.
A historic clay target shooting operation in that area was the source of the contamination found in the top 100mm of soil.
The pine trees on the site were originally planted to stabilise sandy soils which would historically move around as dunes, according to the application.
Mr Forgie said he expected the contractors would comply with the conditions in the resource consent with regard to dust mitigation.
