Initial designs had disappointed Wanaka's urban design panel, which peer-reviewed the plans on August 3 and subsequent revisions on August 11, before issuing a report challenging the applicant to "celebrate the corner in a revised design so as to give some special identity to this place in the town".
The applicant's planner, Brett Giddens, confirmed yesterday the designs had been amended again since the report.
The applicant is Ardmore Holdings (Wanaka) Ltd, which engaged architectural designer Steve Small of 3 Bald Men, a Christchurch and Sydney-based company specialising in hospitality fitting out such as at the Speight's Ale Houses.
Mr Small responded to the panel's critique in a statement lodged with the resource consent application on September 6.
"Strong consideration" had been given to the site's relationship with Bullock Creek and Lake Wanaka in designing a "gateway building" to the town's retail sector, Mr Small said.
Many of the panel's suggestions had been addressed, including changes to a corner deck to allow uninterrupted pedestrian flow to the creek and changes to parapets and cladding, Mr Small said.
Materials include concrete, schist, hardwood cladding, glass and rusticated Corten steel trim.
If resource consent is granted, the 9.2m high building would replace a concrete block cottage previously owned by tourism identities, the late Gra and Olive West.
Wanaka's urban design panel chairman and architect Chris Norman said, when contacted on Tuesday, there had been concerns about the building's bulky appearance and the grant of a licence to occupy council-owned land by Bullock Creek for the corner deck, which protruded into pedestrian pathways.
Mr Norman said the panel's recommendations were not legally binding.
"We've raised the issues but it is up to a hearing panel whether to take it up or not. Unless they come back to us, we don't have anything further to do with it," Mr Norman said.
Mr Giddens said district plan breaches were of a minor and technical nature.
"The application meets all the statutory criteria for non-notification," he said.
The decision on notification could be made in about two weeks.
