The Royalburn Farming Company has been granted consent in the Environment Court to develop an 11-lot subdivision beside the Crown Range Rd.
Following a hearing in Queenstown between August 2 and 4, Judge Laurie Newhook and Environment Commissioners Ross Dunlop and Charles Manning have granted consent for the revised subdivision, subject to 16 conditions.
The company had originally applied to subdivide 20 lots from the 483ha property to provide rural lifestyle allotments, each with a building platform.
The farm occupies about a third of the Crown Terrace - about 138ha is northeast of the Crown Range Rd, with the balance south of the road.
When consent was refused, Royalburn appealed the decision to the Environment Court.
In his decision, Judge Newhook said between lodging the appeal and the hearing, the differences between the parties had "narrowed somewhat", with Royalburn reducing its application to 14 lots.
Witnesses called by the Queenstown Lakes District Council accepted six or eight rural-residential lots could be appropriately located on the site, but the Environment Court had found 11 lots "could receive consent on quite strict conditions".
"The issue in this case is how many, and which, of the rural lifestyle lots proposed can be granted consent consistent with the maintenance of the visual and rural amenity of the Crown Range.
"Essentially, the question is at what point does over domestication compromise the qualities of the Crown Range landscape to an unacceptable degree, keeping in mind the mitigation and environmental compensation offered by the applicant."
The revised application sought to create the lots on the southwestern side of the Crown Range Rd, clustered in three groups, with lots varying in size from 0.78ha to 1.35ha and each lot having a building platform of 1000sq m.
"We consider the proposals represent an efficient use of the land ... we consider the proposal, reduced and modified ... has appropriate regard for the maintenance and enhancement of amenity values and the quality of the environment."
Costs were reserved but given the conclusions the court had reached, "applications are not encouraged", Judge Newhook said.
