A new three-storey hotel is planned for one of Wanaka's prime accommodation sites overlooking the marina.
A resource consent application by Gem Lake Ltd to build the hotel on its existing Wanaka Bakpaka site in Lakeside Rd has been lodged with the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Hotel architect James Norman said yesterday construction of the hotel was expected to begin in 2017 and be completed by 2018.
''We are aiming to create a mid-range hotel. We want lakefront, high quality but accessible accommodation.
''It will be aligned with a three-star type experience.''
Mr Norman said the buildings on the site were nearing the end of their lifespan and it made sense to build a hotel.
''To get a similar return on a new backpackers, we would have to put three to four times the number of people into the area, which is not really in keeping with what Wanaka is about,'' he said.
He declined to say how much the development would cost.
QLDC deputy mayor Lyal Cocks said the development would be an asset to the town.
''I think it is a great location and it is good that people are making an investment into accommodation in Wanaka,'' he said.
The site has been used by accommodation facilities since the 1970s - it was the Wanaka Lodge before 1990 when it became Wanaka's first backpackers.
The proposed hotel would include 36 double rooms, restaurant and bar facilities, and a lounge, kitchen and laundry.
The 709sq m building footprint would cover 37% of the 1897sq m site, while the backpackers building covers 27.4%.
The building was designed by Assembly Architects Ltd and vertical timber board cladding and patterned concrete and cement panels would be the primary materials used on the hotel's exterior.
The resource application said there would be ''less than minor'' effects to privacy for properties located to the north, east and west of the proposed development.
However, a section of the northern accommodation block would exceed the QLDC district plan maximum height allowance of 7m by 0.45m.
The hotel would be accessible via a new crossing location at the north end of the building in Tranmore St, and existing vehicle crossings to the site would be closed.
Changes were made to the development design following concerns raised in a 2014 report by the QLDC urban design panel over ''the monolithic and hard appearances of the building'', a lack of sufficient on-site car parking and the reflectivity of the development in the afternoon sun.
The applicants had also worked with the district council on a new Wanaka lakefront development plan to improve pedestrian and cycle connections between the site and the town centre.
The development would be visible from Lakeside Rd and the Lake Wanaka foreshore.
-by Margot Taylor
