Northlake Investments Ltd has applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council for land use consent for residential activities including an outline development plan showing 175 lots.
At the end of a hearing yesterday, independent commissioners Denis Nugent and Lee Beattie asked specialists from the council and the developer to produce joint statements on points where they agree, also showing where they disagree.
Council resource management consultant Wendy Baker had recommended in her report to the hearing the application be declined "subject to new or additional evidence being presented at the hearing".
Her main issue was with the "insufficient" amount of on-street parking.
Drawings provided by the developer showed houses with two on-site car parks.
However, transport engineer Chris Rossiter gave evidence for the council that the 2013 census showed 19% of Queenstown Lakes district dwellings had three vehicles and 45% two vehicles, not counting trailers.
He believed each street should have on average 0.7 spaces per lot of on-street car parking, while lawyer for Northlake Warwick Goldsmith submitted the "actual demand" was anticipated to be 0.5 spaces per lot.
Transport engineer Andy Carr had given evidence for Northlake of a survey he carried out in the Shotover Country suburb of Queenstown last month.
He found 483 vehicles parked on the street and 321 unoccupied parking spaces within residential lots at the same time.
Mr Goldsmith submitted this "very strongly suggests a pattern of on-street car parking driven by driver choice rather than by driver demand or need."
Other matters the commissioners questioned Northlake about were the variety in style of house proposed, the layout of the lots - most of which are smaller than 400 sqm - whether public transport was likely in the next five years, the height of fences and the connectivity of cycleways.
No submissions against Northlake's application were heard, those submitted to the council by three residents mainly concerned about the density of the development were withdrawn prior to the hearing.
The Government announced in September 211 KiwiBuild houses would be built at Northlake.
Ten have been completed.
Asked about the 26 not included in the outline plan, developer Chris Meehan said "they'll be there somewhere" but declined to comment further.
The hearing was adjourned.
