The public will be able to have a say on the proposed 840-house development in Cromwell.
Yesterday, the Central Otago District Council's planning and environment committee accepted the request from River Terrace Developments Ltd to apply for a private plan change to rezone a 50ha site for the development.
It also accepted that the plan change should be open for public submission.
Under the Resource Management Act, the committee could only reject the request if it was seen to be frivolous or vexatious, if the substance of the request had been rejected by a local authority or the Environment Court within the last two years, if it was not in accordance with sound resource management practice or the district plan had been operative for less than two years.
The committee agreed this application did not fit that criteria.
A date for submissions opening was not given yesterday. A report from council planning team leader Ann Rodgers said the application would be publicly notified so submissions could be made ''at the earliest opportunity''.
Ms Rodgers told the Otago Daily Times the council had two years to process the plan change and issue a decision.
First there would be a call for submissions, received submissions would be summarised and published, a planner report would be circulated then a hearing held.
A decision would be issued, followed by an appeal period if submitters or the applicant wished to appeal.
''If the plan change is approved, work would not be able to start until after the appeal period has closed and any appeals have been resolved and any necessary consents in place,'' she said.
