Commissioners have granted an application for subdivision and associated earthworks on actor Sam Neill's Dalefield property.
Last month, in a resource consent hearing heard by commissioners David Whitney and Lyall Cocks, Mr Neill and two other applicants sought to subdivide two 1000sq m blocks and landscape associated land.
A total volume of 8100cu m of earthworks was proposed over 1.45ha off Fitzpatrick Rd. Submissions by the Evan Bloomfield Family and the Lower Shotover Conservation Trust were received which partly supported and supported the application, respectively.
On behalf of the applicant, lawyer Graeme Todd said the pastoral nature of the majority of the site would remain. In their decision, the commissioners stated they were satisfied the scale and nature of development would not compromise the ''natural or Arcadian pastoral character'' of the surrounds.
Subsequent to the submissions, the application contained self-imposed conditions in order to mitigate effects on the environment.
These included height restrictions, design controls such as steel roof claddings, roof colours of ''natural slate or grass'', wall colours to be a ''recessive colour with a light reflectivity of less than 36%'' and to be within the tones of greys and browns to ensure that the house blends in.
Wall cladding would also have be made of timber, smooth plastic or schist, concrete or corrugated steel to comple-ment the roof colours, as would the exterior joinery.
Any plantings alongside neighbour boundaries would be no higher than 3m.
The 24.8ha site is south of Fitzpatrick Rd, east of an unformed legal road, and north and west of land beside the Shotover River.
