Small Hotels of New Zealand, operating as Lake Hawea Hotel, has applied for a new five-year resource consent to hold events in its garden bar for up to 600 people, primarily during the summer holiday period, but with flexibility for other large-scale events throughout the year.
If approved, the consent will replace the hotel's previous five-year consent which allowed for summer music concerts catering for up to 3500 in the hotel car park area, including 1500 in the garden bar space.
The concerts had a long history at the hotel, but were scaled back considerably last year by former lessees John and Noeline Shea.
Hotel co-owner Mike Smith said the operational requirements and host responsibilities needed to continue running the large-scale summer concert series - including providing car parking for 1000 cars - had become "too hard", particularly with a limited timeframe.
He and business partner Anthony Alderson only bought the 20-year lease on the hotel and accommodation operation in May. Events would now centre on the garden bar, "which is far more manageable for us", Mr Smith said.
"Now we don't have to go through all those hoops."
It was possible a new consent application could be lodged in the future to reinstate the big summer concert series "if we feel there is a need", Mr Smith said.
"I don't know if we'll ever go back into the big car park events because just because there's more people doesn't mean it's better or there's more money involved.
"Maybe those thousands of young people turned another market away from us."
This year, the hotel will run a series of smaller events with a "musical flavour" during the peak holiday period, featuring DJs, bands and solo artists.
The programme would be confirmed once resource consent was approved.
