A golf resort proposal for Glendhu Bay, near Wanaka, remains stuck in legal limbo as the Environment Court struggles to clear a backlog of cases because of delays associated with the Christchurch earthquake.
Christchurch-based Ministry of Justice departments, including the Environment Court, were among the many services disrupted in the aftermath of the 6.3 earthquake of February 22.
The Environment Court held a schedule of proceedings meeting in Queenstown recently and ordered a future timetable to consider an "environmental compensation" package from golf resort developers Parkins Bay Preserve Ltd.
The company, a partnership of Glendhu Station landowners Bob and Pam McRae and Queenstown-based golf course designer and developer John Darby, wants to build golf resort on land at Parkins Bay on the southwestern shoreline of Lake Wanaka.
Parkins Bay Preserve was granted resource consent in May 2008 to build an 18-hole course - designed by New Zealand golfing great Bob Charles - a lakeside clubhouse, lake jetty, luxury lodge and accommodation units, as well as 42 surrounding residential homes overlooking the resort and Lake Wanaka.
Three parties - the Upper Clutha Environmental Society, Wanaka holiday home owner Dennis Thorn, and the Upper Clutha Tracks Trust - appealed the Queenstown Lakes District Council's resource consent, which was a majority decision by commissioners Neville Marquet and David Clarke, with a dissenting opinion from Jane Taylor.
Judge Jon Jackson issued an interim decision in December which gave Parkins Bay the option to submit extra evidence about whether the developer was prepared to offer "environmental compensation" to address some of the appellants' concerns.
Parkins Bay now has until June 24 to submit evidence regarding its environmental compensation package. The appellants will have until August 19 to consider the new evidence and call their own witnesses.
Parkins Bay will then have opportunity until September 25 to submit rebuttal evidence against any of the matters raised by the appellants, with a potential date for another court hearing yet to be confirmed, Anderson Lloyd solicitor Annabel Ritchie said.
UCES spokesman Julian Haworth said the society maintained a view the surrounding 42 residential units at the proposed golf resort were an inappropriate development given the area's natural landscape rules.
"We are still very, very surprised that [the interim decision indicates] 42 houses may gain consent," he said.
