Three Parks Verandas
Three Parks commercial developer KAB Commercial has won Wanaka-Upper Clutha Community Board approval for a veranda that will occupy airspace above the road reserve outside 9 Tim Wallis Dr in Wanaka.
The straight-forward approval was unanimous but sparked a debate by board members about how the application process for verandas could be streamlined and processed in the future without the board having to consider every single commercial veranda individually.
Cr Lyal Cocks pointed out a lot of similar applications would be coming before the board.
"Surely there must be some other way to address this," he asked Queenstown Lakes District Council administrator Adam Geekie.
Mr Geekie said there was no other way to do it at present but agreed to investigate how to "fast track" veranda applications.
Community board member Linda Joll said there was a danger of commercial verandas appearing "mish-mash" and some design consistency was needed.
Board chairman Simon Telfer agreed consistency was an issue but the application was to occupy airspace, not to approve design.
Deputy mayor Quentin Smith said zoning rules did not provide the board with a high level of design control and noted similar issues existed with developers choosing different types of footpath edging.
Mr Geekie agreed to Mr Telfer’s request to find out if a pragmatic solution could be reached with the council for future veranda applications.
Air quality monitoring station
No public feedback was received on the Otago Regional Council’s application last year to put an air quality monitoring and meteorological station on Upton St, so the Wanaka-Upper Clutha Community Board has granted a lease and approved the installation.
The monitoring station will join a network of seven air quality monitoring sites across Otago, with information about air pollutant particles and health risks provided publicly online.
The equipment will be placed close to Wanaka’s tennis and croquet clubs, which have given consent. It will have a 6.4m-high mast and be enclosed to protect the equipment.
The 10-year lease has two five-year rights of renewal.
New Peninsula Bay communications tower
A licence for a new, larger telecommunications tower has been approved for Forest Heights reserve, Peninsula Bay, improving Spark and 2 Degrees cover for the neighbourhood and for Sticky Forest.
The Wanaka-Upper Clutha Community Board decision was unanimous.
No feedback was received when the licence for the structure was advertised.
Queenstown Lakes parks property manager Matthew Judd confirmed the next step was for utility company Connexa to apply for resource consent.
"There is an existing town in Sticky Forest that is 2m high. This one will be a little bit bigger but not hugely different. I doubt it would be publicly notified but I am not a resource consent planner, so don’t hold me to that," Mr Judd said.
The deputy mayor reminded Mr Judd utilities companies needed to follow an agreed code of practice for consulting adjoining neighbours.
— APL
