Thirty years ago, Luggate, Albert Town, Lake Hawea and Makarora were known as popular holiday destinations for Dunedin people getting away from it all. Now, Makarora aside, their clusters of cribs have been encircled by permanent homes, and there is no getting away from the prospect of even more development to come. On four evenings over the past fortnight, staff from the Queenstown Lakes District Council have put to residents questions about what they want for their towns over the next 30 years. This "pre-consultation" "My Place Roadshow’’ will be followed by ‘‘formal consultation’’ later this year. The process is giving council staff a starting point for strategies on housing, climate change and future development, and what might go into stage three of the district plan. As Mark Price reports, only small numbers have attended the 90-minute sessions, but they have provided a wealth of ideas for planners to sort through — from fruit forests to in-fill housing. Wanaka, Glenorchy, Kinloch, Kingston, Queenstown, Arrowtown and Arthurs Point have yet to have their say.
Makarora
Those who pass through the Makarora Valley on their way to or from the West Coast might consider it has lots of "empty space'' containing paddocks, rivers, bush and tussock land.
But the strange - but apparently true - fact is that Makarora is full up.
Some of the 20 residents who attended their roadshow workshop said there was nowhere for Makarora to grow.
While some land is owned by people who simply do not want to sell, much of the land surrounding the various Makarora settlements is within hazard zones - likely to be flooded by the Makarora River or the many streams that tumble off the mountains.
And that is where residents see the council acting.
They suggested it take advantage of local knowledge in determining which areas are hazardous and which are not, rather than relying on a blanket designation.
As well, the lack of land for housing was seen to be compounded by the council's proposed district plan doing away with the rural lifestyle zone, which allowed 2ha blocks.
This, said one resident, would "suffocate'' growth in the valley.
"So, unless that changes, there is probably no future for Makarora.''
Like everywhere in the Lakes District, there is the problem of freedom campers "camping wherever they like, doing whatever they like''.
But, as well, there is growing pressure on the Makarora and Wilkin Rivers from jet-boaters, who are finding other rivers have become off-limits to them.
Lack of cellphone coverage and a lack of landlines also put the need for better communication with "the outside world'' high on the list of priorities.
The lack of "linkage'' between the small settlements that make up the valley community is also of concern.
There is talk of an off-highway trail for horses, bikes and pedestrians all the way from Makarora to Lake Hawea.
And, in a town surrounded by native forest, there is even a shortage of land on which to grow trees for firewood.
One thing the council does not need to do at Makarora apparently, is provide street lights.
Residents are happy with the uninhibited view they get of the rest of the universe from the dark streets of Makarora.
Footnote: The council says the rural lifestyle zone allows for subdivisions down to an average of 2ha while the rural zone is "more oriented towards rural land uses and has no minimum site size; however, it is more difficult to subdivide and develop''.
Development at Makarora is also governed by its outstanding natural landscape classification which "implies that subdivisions wouldn't normally get consent''.
"Why are we wasting our time when you guys have a track record of not listening?''
That was the welcome meted out to two district councillors and the group of council staff who attended the Lake Hawea consultation session.
The SHA is now awaiting Government approval.
Several of the 70 people at the workshop remarked they had been through the same consultation before, and been ignored, but they nevertheless got down to talking about where they believed the township should be heading.
One resident remarked that the council needed to provide flexibility in how the housing issue was dealt with in each town.
In Lake Hawea, for instance, there were people who wanted to build "tiny houses'', but the council seemed to have a blanket rule against them.
"People are being told how they must live.''
But, much of the discussion came back to the SHA.
Several residents were upset changes to the town were being led by developers rather than residents, one suggesting the council needed to ensure developers delivered what they promised, rather than be allowed to make changes as developments proceeded.
Another considered there was a risk the town centre, represented by the shop, restaurant and pub, might move nearer to the SHA if it was not protected.
Another pointed out that there were few jobs in Lake Hawea so SHA residents would drive to Wanaka, clogging the road, and in particular causing problems at the one-lane Albert Town bridge.
And, with everyone needing to drive to work, the SHA would even add to the climate change problem, one resident suggested.
Another said dealing with council planning issues needed to be made simpler, and a council staff member, who did not disagree, described the Resource Management Act as a "planner's nightmare''.
Luggate
A fair proportion of the 35 residents who attended the Luggate workshop appeared happy for the village to stay much as it is.
When asked where he would like Luggate to be in 30 years, one said: "Right where it is now''.
No-one at his table demurred.
However, several pointed out that like it or not, major development near Luggate is a real prospect in the form of an expansion of Wanaka Airport to include regular passenger air services.
Luggate is directly under the flightpath.
One resident, who had moved from Gatwick, in England, said he knew exactly what Luggate would be in for.
How much say residents would have over airport expansion plans was one question raised, and whether infrastructure would be put in place before the expansion or done afterwards in an "ad hoc'' way was another.
There was also some concern about large housing developments springing up on the village boundaries and several residents called for restrictions on high-density housing.
Another issue for Luggate was the position of State Highway 6 which runs through the village - some suggesting a bypass is needed.
"You can't talk about development here without looking at highways,'' one resident said, pointing out the issue was with the NZ Transport Agency, rather than with the council.
Some suggested it was time the council better defined the part of the village that could be used for industrial purposes.
And some had an eye on the potential to turn the Upper Clutha Transport yard into a village centre with shops and accommodation - while ensuring the old mill on the site was retained.
There was a view that small sections should be discouraged, while some felt it should be easier to add ``granny flats'' to existing sections.
There were also calls for public transport services, an off-road cycle way between Luggate and Wanaka, the development of a park on Luggate Heights, more recreation areas for children, a pre-school, and a new bridge across the Clutha River in order to take the pressure off the "shaky'' red bridge.
Under the heading of "great things about Luggate'', one resident contributed "not Queenstown'' and another "not Wanaka''.
Albert Town
The "loss'' of Albert Town's character was lamented by some who attended the council's pre-consultation workshop this week.
"This could be any suburb in any town in any part of New Zealand or Australia,'' one resident said.
Albert Town was once a collection of cribs next to the Clutha River, "world famous'' for its fishing.
"The character of Albert Town has changed and become generic,'' the resident said, although ``heaven knows how'' the council might recreate what was previously special about the town.
With much of the available land now built on, there was discussion about what type of further development might be acceptable.
Some wanted the bigger "one acre'' sections retained, while others believed there was a place for more smaller sections, achieved by subdividing sections already built on.
One resident said that was already happening, while another said the area known as "old Albert Town'' had potential for development.
There appeared to be a strong desire for an improved network of tracks and paths for pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders - every form of transport other than cars.
Ideally, it would be possible to reach Wanaka and the shops in the new Three Parks commercial area without going on any roads, and there was a call for an underpass beneath State Highway 84 to achieve that.
One resident pointed out State Highway 6, which runs through Albert Town was already a busy ``main arterial'' for tourists travelling between Wanaka and the West Coast, and would become even busier with the 400-lot special housing development at Lake Hawea.
There was a call for the one-lane Albert Town bridge to be replaced with a two-lane bridge, but for the Clutha River to remain as the boundary for housing.
As one resident pointed out, if the council did not act, over the next 30 years Wanaka could become a city spread all the way to Lake Hawea.
"We're not going to stop the growth, but we need to manage the growth,'' he said.
There was a desire for reserves and parks to be protected and for the Albert Town camping ground to be retained.
One resident said any new airport development should be further away from Albert Town.
"The last thing you want is 777s coming in over your house.''
Other ideas included a fruit tree forest, worker accommodation provided by the council, preparations to begin for a hospital in Wanaka, and more attention being given to eradicating rabbits, broom and other pests.
