A right of reply was given to the corporation after a lengthy hearing two weeks ago to determine the outcome of a proposed McDonald’s at the base of Mt Iron along the Wanaka-Luggate Highway.
The corporation’s lawyer, Jeremy Brabant, singled out Wanaka’s Three Parks developer Willow Ridge over an email it sent McDonald’s several months ago which he said he felt represented its true intentions.
He said Willow Ridge was responsible for Wanaka’s Three Parks development, which contains a large number of the town’s big-box stores such as The Warehouse and Mitre 10.
"It is expressed from their email that they are taking issue with McDonald’s if it is located anywhere other than somewhere where they can make money from it," he said.
Mr Brabant said although he could not make an anti-competitive trade complaint, the developer’s stance amounted to "distasteful behaviour".
He also addressed other issues that had been raised during the hearing by submitters, including the zoning of the proposed location, visual impacts on Mt Iron and potential increase in waste.
In the previous hearing there had been a lot of discussion about whether the site was rural or urban.
But Mr Brabant said the fixation on whether the location was more urban or rural should be disregarded as it was "not helpful".
His argument, however, continued to support the view that the location was more urban.
He also asserted the restaurant would not take away from the natural magnitude of Mt Iron.
"Mt Iron will continue to be a dominant feature," he said, referring once again to the changes that have been made to the building’s design to accommodate visual concerns.
Mr Brabant highlighted the muted colour palette, decreased lighting during non-operational hours and "significantly less signage" than what is found on a normal McDonald’s premises.
The blade sign would be 2.2m, which aligned with the sign for the Caltex petrol station that had already been approved, Mr Brabant said.
Issues around waste were also briefly acknowledged by Mr Brabant when he assured the panel McDonald’s was making "continuous steps" in that regard by taking away plastic straws and welcoming reusable cups for dine-in customers only.
Chief commissioner Helen Atkins said the panel was hoping to have its final decision by the end of next month but it reserved the right to extend this rough deadline should it need to.
- By Rawan Saadi
