A major plan change granted for the Central Otago District Council (CODC) district plan has progressed further with no appeals against the decision being lodged with the Environment Court.
Melview (McArthur Ridge) Ltd now has the go-ahead to construct a $500 million resort complex at McArthur Ridge, off Springvale Rd, near Alexandra.
Melview's director of commercial and legal affairs, Warwick Goldsmith, said there had been no opposition to the plan change which comprised the rezoning of 846ha of rural resource area into McArthur Ridge resource area.
"That's very encouraging, and now we are through that phase and the plan change is final, that allows us to move into planning for the next stage of the project."
The plan change will allow for a project incorporating an 18-hole golf course designed by New Zealand golfer Greg Turner, a 200ha pinot noir vineyard, an international health and wellbeing spa, a conference centre, a low-rise five-star resort hotel lodge with 150 suites, and 250 units as part of the managed hotel pool, a variety of housing, and biking and walking trails integrated with the existing vineyard.
The development would also include a farm, orchards and gardens which, the developers said had not been done in New Zealand.
The whole project would be staged over a period of 10-20 years.
Initial infrastructure costs are expected to be about $66 million.
It is estimated the hotel complex could log 220,000 visitor nights each year by 2012, generating a substantial amount of money for the local economy.
