A proposed residential development at Hawea Flat has hit a snag, with a council planner recommending the application be refused because of the possible impact on an outstanding natural feature nearby.
Willowridge Developments Ltd, owned by Allan Dippie, has applied for resource consent to subdivide about 118ha of land in Kane Rd north of the Red Bridge near Luggate, into 13 residential developments.
The company proposes six lots on the site’s upper terrace and seven on the lower terrace. Section sizes would range from 1.4ha to 5.2ha.
An 88ha "farm balance section" which could be used for farming is also part of the application.
Design controls would include a 4.5m limit on the height of buildings and restrictions on materials. Under the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s district plan the land is zoned rural general.
In its application, the company said the lower part of the subdivision on a narrow strip of land was not suitable for rural purposes.
Council senior planner Sarah Gathercole has recommended the application be refused. The effects of the development on the surrounding landscape would be significant, Ms Gathercole said.
Part of the property is within an area designated as an outstanding natural feature because of its association with the Clutha River.
Willowridge’s landscape report said the proposed development would not compromise the open character of the outstanding natural feature.
Landscape management strategies and design controls would screen the development.
Ms Gathercole said the rural and outstanding natural landscapes would not be protected if the development went ahead.
A hearing on the application will take place on March 7, before independent commissioners Bob Nixon and Wendy Baker.
A submission opposing the application has been lodged by the Upper Clutha Environmental SocietyThe NZ Transport Agency made a neutral submission on the application asking for a traffic management plan and conditions relating to noise and access from State Highway 8A.
