Willowridge Developments Ltd has applied for resource consent to excavate almost 110,000cu m of preparatory earthworks - the equivalent of about 48 Olympic-sized swimming pools - at Three Parks.
Willowridge has requested its application be granted consent on a non-notified basis from Lakes Environmental "subject to appropriate conditions", because any adverse environmental effects of the proposed "bulk" earthworks will be less than minor.
Resource consents can be determined on a non-notified basis - effectively excluding public submitters from the process - when no parties are considered to be adversely affected, or all parties considered to be adversely affected provide their written approval.
Willowridge director Allan Dippie said one affected party - an immediate neighbour - had been consulted and provided their written approval for the proposed earthworks.
The Ballantyne Rd site is zoned rural general, but is earmarked for the Queenstown Lakes District Council's plan change 16 - Three Parks (PC16).
It will create a "special zone" to allow for the expansive 100ha residential and commercial development, consisting of a secondary town centre and about 750 housing units planned by Willowridge.
It is subject to appeal proceedings in the Environment Court from two parties, Willowridge and Mt Cardrona Station Ltd, and, as such, is not yet operative.
Willowridge wants to advance its work on Three Parks and its consent application anticipates a condition that will ensure excavated fill from the Ballantyne Rd site will be used to supply about 33,100cu m of fill for another development at West Meadows.
A separate consent application was recently lodged by Willowridge, seeking earthworks for a proposed 55-lot subdivision at its West Meadows residential subdivision at the entrance to the Cardrona Valley.
The objective of the earthworks at Three Parks is to provide flat earth for a proposed central road through a 10.5ha area of the site.
The landscape east of Ballantyne Rd is described by Willowridge's consultant planner Duncan White as "undulating" and "consisting of terraces and flats".
It is proposed for land around the planned road to be graded so as to be suitable for the expansion of future developments in accordance with the Three Parks zoning, the Willowridge application says.
Willowridge has been planning Three Parks for about eight years and Mr Dippie said it wanted to "push on" with the project.
