The Department of Conservation (Doc) sought views on its plans to grant a 10-year concession to develop the 102-year-old building and operate it as boutique accommodation. Submissions closed last week and 195 were received - 190 opposed, four in support and one neutral.
Doc concessions community relations officer Michelle Pearce said opposing submissions were received from a handful of American and Australian residents, along with some from the North Island, but the bulk were from Otago residents.
Sixteen people want to be heard in support of their submission. The hearing will be held in the Becks Hall later this month.
Ten of the submissions were from organisations and the rest came from individuals, Mrs Pearce said.
Cameron Accommodation Ltd, of Christchurch, which is seeking the concession, wants to modify the building to accommodate up to seven people.
In his application, James Cameron said, as a qualified builder, he had undertaken major historic projects here and in England which involved "working sympathetically with the historical fabric to achieve a quality result that retains building character".
Work would be done in two stages, with the second floor renovated for accommodation first. While that was done, the ground floor would be available for lease for retail purposes.
The second stage involved renovating the ground floor for accommodation.
Mr Cameron would manage the accommodation bookings off-site via the internet.
In August, the Otago Conservation Board told Doc it believed the overall concept was good and the building would benefit from use and careful renovation that retained its historic values.
The board supported the internal renovation of the upper floor but said the current layout and old fixtures should be retained. The lower floor was better suited to retail use, along the lines of the Despatches business run by the late Sharon Hinds.
Opponents of the proposal have objected to altering the building, which retains most of its original fixtures and fittings. They also raised concerns about whether the lower floor would remain open to the public.
The building has New Zealand Historic Places Trust category 2 status and protection as a historic reserve. It is one of four historic buildings in St Bathans managed by Doc.
In a report on the concession, Doc community relations manager Ken Stewart said it was regarded as "one of the most iconic buildings in the township".
For the last 30 years, the only use of the interior had been the business run by Mrs Hinds between 1995 and 2008. The upper floor had not been used for accommodation for many years and had deteriorated considerably, Mr Stewart said.
"Due to funding constraints, the department has not been able to make building maintenance a priority."
In 2008, Doc asked for expressions of interest from the public in using the property but only received a single proposal, from Cameron Builders, proposing accommodation, he said.
