The developer of the Stoney Creek Retirement Village in Wanaka has appealed to the Environment Court to overturn a resource consent decision against its proposed 85-unit apartment complex.
Stoney Creek Village Ltd (SCVL) wants to build a 10-building apartment complex at Meadowstone, which would contain 85 units and other associated "lifestyle" amenities, to operate the venture as a retirement village.
The company has cited 33 "reasons" why the resource consent decision should be overturned and is also seeking costs against the Queenstown Lakes District Council in the Environment Court.
The district council released a resource consent decision last month which denied SCVL's proposal, after the application had been stuck in planning law limbo as the council's regulatory authority, Lakes Environmental, awaited the payment of outstanding processing fees by the developer.
Independent commissioners John Matthews and David Whitney decided the proposed retirement village would have significant adverse effects because of its "bulk and density", while the proximity of the buildings to the Stoney Creek waterway also presented a potential hazard and flooding concern.
SCVL contends in its grounds of appeal that the decision wrongly ignored "empirical evidence on the question of demand for the proposed retirement village".
The decision "failed to assess the effects in light of that evidence, and thereby underestimated the positive effects of the proposal".
A date to hear the appeal is yet to be set.
