Ladies Mile development clears another hurdle
Plans to rezone Queenstown land for 2,400 new homes should be approved by the Minister for the Environment, an independent hearings panel says.
Queenstown Lakes District Council wants to change the zoning on Te Pūtahi Ladies Mile to enable urban development. But that's drawn criticism from many locals, concerned about gridlocked traffic and the impact on the local environment.
The panel held hearings in November and December, after 125 submitters raised over 1,003 submission points.
In its draft report, released yesterday, it makes several changes to council plans.
It wants a minimum density of 40 homes per hectare over the zone, higher density than elsewhere in the district. There will be no standalone housing in the Ladies Mile zone, only apartment blocks, townhouses, duplexes and the like.
The panel also wants rules about the maximum amount of parking removed.
And, crucially, it wants infrastructure staged to be in place before developers can proceed, to ensure developments are integrated with transport infrastructure.
That includes signals at the intersection of Howards Drive and State Highway 6 and pedestrian and cycle crossings over both roads.
Council planning & development general manager David Wallace welcomed the panel's draft recommendation report.
"[It] acknowledges housing remains one of the biggest challenges faced in the Queenstown Lakes, and more land is required to accommodate increased density and more affordable housing typologies,” he says.
"This decision identifies that affordability is causing significant housing pressure for short-term migrant and permanent workers alike, residents and families, and based on the evidence received, Te Pūtahi Ladies Mile Variation is the correct planning response to help address this issue."
The new Te Pūtahi Ladies Mile Zone would also provide a range of open spaces and community facilities, support commercial activities through a new town centre, and focus on providing active and public transport infrastructure to support a significant shift in how people get around the Whakatipu Basin, Wallace says.
Council and submitters will now be able to identify and correct minor or technical errors or omissions in the draft recommendation before a final recommendation is issued to Minister, Penny Simmonds.
Previously, the government approved an application by QLDC to streamline the planning process at Te Pūtahi Ladies Mile, meaning the proposed variation can be progressed as swiftly as possible.
The independent hearings panel on Te Pūtahi Ladies Mile Variation was made up of:
David Allen (Chair), Partner, Buddle Findley - legal expertise
Hoani Langsbury - Iwi expertise, ecology
Judtih Makinson, CKL - transportation
Gillian Crowcroft, Harrison Greison - freshwater management
Ian Munro – planning, urban design
