Council holds over housing discussion

Consideration of ''special housing areas'' in the Queenstown area has been deferred until after the new Arrowtown ward councillor has been elected.

Queenstown Lakes mayor Vanessa van Uden said the council was to have considered a report on SHAs at its meeting in Wanaka next week on expressions of interest put forward by local landowners.

Those landowners include council chief executive Adam Feeley.

However, Ms van Uden said it was better to defer the item for a month to allow an Arrowtown member to be involved in making the decision, described as ''significant'' for the Wakatipu Basin.

The election is on May 1 and the new councillor will take office at the May council meeting.

Ms van Uden said expressions of interest would be posted on the council website ''well in advance'' of that meeting so people could see what was proposed.

''There has been a lot of speculation and comment about the special housing area proposals, based on very little information.

''Although there are some commercial sensitivities around proposals, and the law allows less consultation than the Resource Management Act would, I want to dispel any suggestions that this is a secretive process.''

Ms van Uden said people could provide feedback to the council once information was released on the website, which would be provided to all elected members.

SHAs are a relatively new initiative by the Government, in partnership with selected councils including the QLDC, to open up land for affordable, good quality housing in districts where there is a shortage of accommodation or where prices were high.

Councils consider and recommend proposals to the housing minister, who decides whether a SHA should be established.

Earlier this month, the Otago Daily Times reported at least three new subdivisions were proposed under the SHA rules.

Bridesdale Farm, next to Lake Hayes Estate, has already been recommended by the council to the Government.

In February, Mountain Scene reported Mr Feeley had applied to subdivide a proportion of his family's 6ha property on Arrowtown-Lake Hayes Rd under SHA rules.

It is also understood Arrowtown South developer and farmer Roger Monk has applied to have his 17ha site included as a SHA.

Last October, the council and the Government signed the Queenstown Lakes Housing Accord to allow 1300 more new houses in the district in the next three years.

The only other area covered by a SHA in the South Island is Christchurch.

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement