Click photo to enlarge
Chairman Peter Gibson and secretary Margaret Gibson, of the
Kingston Community Association, say the community mainly
supports the proposed development of their township. Photo
by Henrietta Kjaer.
Kingston could more than triple in size when a newly
approved development starts. Reporter Henrietta Kjaer went to
the lakeside township to find out what this means for the local
community, and found residents mostly positive, hoping the
development will mean access to water and sewage
facilities.
"This is the best thing that ever happened to Kingston,"
local resident and business owner Peter McEntyre said.
When the Queenstown Lakes District Council ratified Plan
Change 25 for Kingston on Tuesday, it allowed an 88ha area to
be developed by Kingston Village Ltd.
Today, the township has 200 dwellings, and the new
development has room for 500-700 new homes, along with sites
earmarked as employment area, education precinct and open
spaces.
"People have accepted that some changes will inevitably
happen to Kingston over time. What matters to the community
is how it is handled," said Peter Gibson, chairman of the
Kingston Community Association.
Mr McEntyre owns the Kingston Cafe and Bar at the corner of
Kent St and State Highway 6.
While his business relies mostly on passing tourist traffic,
he welcomes a larger township.
"Kingston needs more people and a bit of industry as well, to
become a vibrant and independent village. It seems apparent
now that the Kingston Flyer is not operating," he said.
The vintage steam train the Kingston Flyer has been offered
for tender and a United States company has expressed
interest.
The train still attracts visitors, who stop for a photo.
The tavern next to the Kingston railway station has pushed
its usual 8am opening time to 4pm, but tavern duty manager
and local mother Sonia Stewart is still positive about the
township's future.
"Progress will happen, and Kingston really needs positive
development. We have a strong community spirit here, and this
development will be a good thing for the community," she
said.
Mr Gibson said the main reason for the community to back the
Kingston Village development was the hope it would lead to
better services like water and sewage for the township.
"The village does not have reticulated water or sewage, and
the council has not been willing to pay for it to be
installed. At least this development will drive the
much-needed improvement of our infrastructure," he said.
As part of the plan change, the developer would be obliged to
install water and sewerage systems for the new subdivisions,
and thereby pay for the basic structure.
Senior policy analyst Ralph Henderson, of the QLDC, said
existing properties could be connected to this new
infrastructure, as it must be built to allow for growth.
"The community must be prepared to meet at least some of the
cost. It will be up to the community whether they want to be
connected to a new water and sewage system, but joining in at
the planning stage might be cheaper than joining later," he
said.
Kingston Village Ltd partner Ian Pillans said the developer
was working on offering the community a solution at a lower
cost than the options the council has presented.
Three well attended workshops had been held for the community
to discuss the plan change.
A main concern raised was the need for Kingston to retain its
own identity.
"People want the township to stay as mainly residential and
with 'low-key' tourism and holiday homes. They do not want it
to turn into a small version of Queenstown," Mr Gibson said.
"Arrowtown is an example of a local town which has grown but
kept its village feel. If it is looked after properly,
Kingston can also keep its unique atmosphere," Mr McEntyre
said.
The developer agrees with the sentiments of the local
community.
"The last thing we want is to create a satellite suburb. We
aim to create an integrated and self-sufficient village with
its own identity. The open spaces, walkways and plantings
will support this," Mr Pillans said.
The plan change process has been ongoing since 2006 as a
joint venture between the council and Kingston Village Ltd.
Submissions could be sent in until May, and a hearing would
be held in September.
The plan change is still subject to appeals until February.
Only then can the subdivision process begin.
"I expect it will take most of 2010 to go through the consent
process for the subdivision, so I am not contemplating any
construction until 2011. During 2010, we will work on the
engineering of all the infrastructure. [The year] 2012 looks
like a realistic time for the complete existing township to
be connected to a new water and sewage system.
"It will take at least 25 years to complete all stages of
this development," Mr Pillans said.
Another proposed development in Kingston was stalled when the
company behind the Kingston Flyer went into receivership.
Mr Pillans is confident this will not happen to Kingston
Village Ltd.
"We are very solidly funded financially, and will have no
problems funding the infrastructure before the first release
of sections are ready for sale," he said.
Mr Henderson said there would be further consultation with
the community about infrastructure issues.
