The Environmental Court's decision to issue consent for the giant supermarket would go against the principle of a five-year plan change (Plan Change 19), Queenstown Central Ltd (QCL) partner Tony Gapes said.
The Auckland property developer said QCL was not trying to hold up progress but wanted to see the surrounding 68ha of land zoned before consents were granted.
Mr Gapes is also the director of Gateway Holdings Ltd (GHL), the developer which has a resource consent being considered by Lakes Environmental for a retail complex, which would include a competing Countdown supermarket.
He said there was no direct link between the two companies.
"Gateway Holdings are building the Countdown. They are a completely and utterly separate entity [to Queenstown Central Ltd]. They are definitely not trade competitors.""If it were Gateway Holdings appealing the decision we would not deny there is a trade competitor element."
This appeal comes after Judge Jon Jackson's comments warning on trade competitors when granting consent for the Pak'n Save last month.
"The court considered that a speedy hearing was the best disinfectant against potential improper behaviours by trade competitors," Judge Jackson said in his decision.
Mr Gapes said the reason for QCL's appeal was predominantly because the result of plan change 19 was due in September and this should take first priority, as it affected a much larger part of the Frankton development area (68ha) than the 2ha to be occupied by Pak'n Save.
"The whole idea of plan change 19 was to create more industrial land in Queenstown and this decision is replacing retail with that industrial land."
GHL was already zoned for retail land while the 23ha of QCL land had portions of both retail and industrial.
"The biggest thing we have the problem with is it [the consent] goes against the principles that plan change 19 was originally set out for."
The ongoing plan change dealt with anticipated demand needs for Queenstown for the next 20 years.
Mr Gapes said the design had been agreed on by several urban designers and the Pak'n Save position in the consent would mean the plan change process would need to be reassessed if it were to be built there.
He accepted much of the community would believe the Auckland based developers were holding up progress for their own benefit.
Foodstuffs property and development manager Roger Davidson declined to comment on Queenstown Central Ltd's appeal, but said Judge Jackson's decision summarised the trade competition argument well.
