The Friendly Bay Society has had talks with the Waitaki District Council to see if it can resolve issues over the Forrester Heights residential subdivision on Cape Wanbrow in Oamaru.
However, if they are not resolved, then challenging the legality of the council's 27 section subdivision on 5.84ha of land overlooking the Oamaru Harbour in the High Court remains an option, society spokesman Barry Monks said yesterday.
The two issues the society wants resolved are the future of the Lookout Point reserve at the top of the subdivision and a height restriction on houses sufficient to protect the view of the Oamaru Harbour.
The society took the council to the Environment Court in June over various aspects of the way the council had processed the subdivision.
The court found it did not have jurisdiction to hear the society's arguments, which could only be dealt with by the High Court.
To go to the High Court, the society would need funding from the Ministry for the Environment's environmental legal assistance fund.
Mr Monks said this week the society had not yet made a decision on whether it would proceed with the High Court action.
It had had discussions with Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton, council chief executive Michael Ross and Crs Peter Garvan and Gary Kircher over the issues it had with the subdivision.
It wanted the council to reinstate, in its district plan, the recreational reserve status over the Lookout Point reserve and to impose height restrictions on houses in the new subdivision to preserve the view of the Oamaru Harbour from Lookout Point.
Mr Monks said it was still waiting to hear from the council on the outcome of the talks.
Development of the subdivision has been delayed until the reserve status over the land is dealt with by Parliament in the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill. The Bill has yet to receive its first reading and will still have to go through a select committee process.
The council had hoped the Bill would be approved by the end of last year so it could start physical work on the subdivision and issue titles for the sections.
