Legal counsel for the Ridgeburn development has temporarily withdrawn its application for fast-track approval, after it was deemed “not ready for the fast-track expert panel” earlier this week. However, the company plans to reapply “in the near future”, following consultation with concerned parties. It means a community meeting of people opposed to the development would still go ahead on Tuesday. The project proposes a 1250-house development at Arrow Junction, near Arrowtown, along with a commercial village precinct with retail, hospitality, community services and office space. It was promoted as a way of addressing the district’s housing crisis. However, the proposal proved controversial with certain groups who had fears about traffic jams, a lack of infrastructure planning and a tendency towards urban sprawl. In a minute issued on Wednesday, fast-track approvals panels convener Jane Borthwick said it was not ready for the fast-track expert panel. As a result, Ridgeburn Ltd withdrew its “substantive application” for the project soon after the minute was issued. Legal documents said the company would re-lodge “a fresh substantive application for the project in the near future”. “Since the initial convenor conference, the applicant [Ridgeburn Ltd] has undertaken further work to progress the application, including consideration of the issues raised, and has either engaged or sought to engage further with the relevant parties to better understand and address their concerns.” The company wanted to engage further with the parties, with a view to addressing outstanding issues, narrowing areas of disagreement, and where possible, identifying common ground. “The applicant is hopeful that all parties will engage constructively in that process.” It was hoped a new application could be lodged that would respond to the issues raised, and help the fast-track expert panel to focus on the substantive issues remaining in contention. Despite the change in situation, opposition group Queenstown Smart Growth Initiative (QSGI) spokeswoman Hanna Pettit said a community meeting planned for next Tuesday, would still go ahead at the Arrowtown Rugby Club, from 6pm-7.30pm. “We need to continue to keep trucking along with this. “In fact, it makes it more important that we continue to keep trucking, because this is giving them [Ridgeburn] an opportunity to regroup and ensure that they have all the right information for the next time they lodge their application. “So, we are still having that meeting,” she said. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
