Brinkman Peez is constructing a residential property at 1 Mulgans Track, Clifton.
The Christchurch City Council-approved development will include a garage and storage room at road level, a lift and stairs up the cliffs, and two residential units on site.
Nearby residents have taken issue with the project’s scale and potential environmental impact.
Redcliffs Residents’ Association secretary Pat McIntosh said it had received several complaints about the visual impact of the development and its potential damage to the cliffs.
She also said the association was concerned about the lack of community consultation.
“There has been no consultation with the wider community at any stage and council staff were not in a position to comment when these issues were raised by the RRA in 2023,” she said.
“We have become aware that consent has been given for a permanent structure (garage) to be built on the road reserve in Moncks Bay adjacent to the property and are concerned that neither the residents’ association nor the residents of Moncks Bay were informed of this or consulted before the license was granted.”
City council acting planning and consents lead Joeleen Anderson said all resource consent applications were processed on a non-notified basis.
“The council did not undertake consultation under the Resource Management Act with the residents’ association as they were not identified as an affected party as part of the resource consent process,” she said.
The city council does not have a discretion to consult if the criteria for non-notification are met.
“We feel that any such use of road reserve land is of interest to the community and should have been discussed with them,” McIntosh said.
Property owner and Brinkman Peez director John Peez said a minority of nearby residents took issue with the development, which had caused delays.
“They have kicked up so much and thanks to them we’ve had to change all our consents, accommodated them as much as we could and they're still a non-notified party even after it went to a commissioner,” he said.
Peez was granted an original resource consent in 2022. Amendments were made after nearby residents made a complaint about being a non-notified party.
The project was granted another resource consent in 2024, and an independent commissioner held up the decision not to notify the application.
Peez estimated the project cost has ballooned by about $400,000 due to resident interference.
Anderson acknowledged there will be a change to the cliff face.
“Although the site is within the District Plan Coastal Environment, as are many sites in this location, the cliff area is not listed in the District Plan as either an outstanding natural feature or a significant feature,” she said.
“The cliff is owned by the applicant, and the site is zoned for residential purposes. Some scaling of the cliff face was required to enable to development.”
“You will not get a better architectural designed home that is more in keeping with the landscape than that,” Peez said.
