The Canyon Vineyard Ltd has applied to the Central Otago District Council for resource consent to host functions for more than 600 people, occasional concerts for up to 4000 people, and have more than 30 helicopter landings and take-offs a month at the 21.25ha site, in rural resource-zoned land in Chinaman's Tce, off Bendigo Loop Rd, between Tarras and Cromwell.
Council planning manager David Campbell said five of the 13 submissions opposed the application, six supported it and two were neutral.
The council had also received a letter from Heritage New Zealand about the application, although the letter was not a formal submission.
Hayden Johnston, of Dunedin, is the sole director and shareholder of The Canyon Vineyard Ltd.
He said he had spent about $1 million so far on the project, which would not need any new buildings but would use a restaurant already on the site.
The building, originally the Big Picture wine-tasting venue at Cromwell and then the Nose Restaurant at Highlands Motorsport Park, was transported to the Bendigo site in 2016 and Mr Johnston had modified it since then.
He bought the land on which the building stands in 2002, from Bendigo Station, and established Tarras Vineyards on the site.
