The value of building consents in the Queenstown Lakes district topped half a billion dollars in 2015, setting a new record for building value in the district.
Figures provided by the district council reveal a total of 1523 consents worth $505,301,227, compared with 1335 consents worth $388,500,294 in 2014 - an increase of 188 consents and $116,800,933 in dollar value.
And building services manager Stewart Geddes yesterday said there was every indication another record would be set in 2016, with 20 major projects in the pipeline valued at about $213million.
‘‘And that's on top of just normal everyday stuff that comes through.
‘‘It is going to be another huge year.''
Mr Stewart said the big increase in value of consents indicated the rising number of ‘‘high-end'' commercial and residential buildings.
Consent numbers in the Central Otago district overall dropped from 800 in 2014 to 757 in 2015, but increased in value by just more than $1million.
Central Otago District Council planning and environment manager Louise van der Voort said Cromwell had almost double the proportion of new dwellings than other areas.
‘‘I don't know why that would be, off the top of my head, but it appears higher than they have been in the past decade.''
Waitaki District Council building control manager Mark Mitchell said he was pleased to see a small but steady increase in building consents over the past two years.
Clutha District Council planning and regulatory manager David Campbell said while there had been a ‘‘bit of a drop'' in dairy farm buildings with the decline in the milk payout, one or two larger commercial buildings helped bring the numbers and value back up.
