Next month's New Zealand Gazette appears likely to spell out the fate of two special housing areas (SHA) in the Upper Clutha.
One is the 281-lot Bright Sky development on the southern outskirts of Wanaka.
The other is the more controversial 400-lot SHA proposed by Universal Developments Hawea Ltd on rural land on the southern outskirts of the Lake Hawea township.
Asked yesterday for an update on the Lake Hawea application, Associate Minister of Housing and Urban Development Jenny Salesa said "cabinet is yet to make a decision''.
However, the Otago Daily Times understands the Gazette will show both the Wanaka and Lake Hawea developments have been approved.
Universal developer Lane Hocking said he had "no visibility'' of the Government's approval process, while Bright Sky Ltd chairman Grant Bisset confirmed his company's development had been approved by the Government and it was expected to be gazetted in June.
Mr Bisset said he had not been through the SHA process before.
"It's new ground for us so we assume when the minister signs off, which is what's happened, that the gazetting is a formality but I'll be able to confirm that once it's happened.''
The Queenstown Lakes District Council recommended the Bright Sky proposal to the Government in September 2018 and the Lake Hawea proposal in December.
SHAs are a government initiative to fast-track housing developments via a "more permissive'' consenting process, in order to boost the supply of affordable housing.
