On February 14, independent commissioner Colin Weatherall chaired a hearing on behalf of the Clutha District Council, for the 18-lot subdivision in Coombe Hay Lane, in the township about 17km south of Milton.
The council received Mr Weatherall’s report during its regulatory and community committee meeting in Balclutha yesterday.
The hearing became necessary after eight submissions were received following notification of Toko Mouth residents, iwi, Doc and the Otago Regional Council.
Toko Developments Ltd lodged the application in October 2022.
Four submissions were in unconditional support, two in conditional support and two opposing.
In his report to the hearing, Clutha District Council consultant planner Craig Barr recommended consent be declined, due to stormwater provision and roading concerns.
However, the council left the door open for consent to be granted if stormwater concerns could be addressed by the developer.
In his report, Mr Weatherall said he took this into account when making his decision.
‘‘At the hearing it became clear to me that despite the council not supporting the applicant’s proposed stormwater design, council officers were open to alternative design and the applicant was also open to reconsidering its stormwater design,’’ he said.
The original design proposed individual stormwater storage tanks for each section, pumping on to the road stormwater network gradually.
The council expressed concerns about long-term maintenance of these systems by 18 individual property owners.
Following the initial hearing, the applicant made a revised proposal that each section discharge directly to the stormwater network, with provision for upgrades to the existing network.
Mr Weatherall said the council supported the revised design.
A question of whether the subdivision roading should be sealed was resolved by the issuing of a bond to seal the road within a fixed time period, as sales of the sections progressed.
Mr Weatherall said this would both address the concerns of submitters, and reduce the financial burden on the applicant of sealing the roads in advance.
The proposed subdivision will adjoin an existing eight-lot subdivision formed in 2017, and sit on a raised plateau offering ocean views from some locations.
Lots are expected to range from 1600sq m to 1.1ha.
