Development of small-scale sites on rural general land known as the Triangle, near Wanaka, will start within the next few months.
Orchard Road Holdings Ltd recently gained consent to create 19 residential lots on its triangular 84.6ha rural general site bounded by Cardrona Valley, Riverbank and Orchard Rds.
The subdivision will comprise four clusters of relatively small rural-style lots between 6000sq m and 1.13ha in area, with residential building platforms accessed by a new private road.
The house sites will be set within the rural area, with the balance of about 67ha maintained as pastoral land leased to Hillend Station.
A covenant over the grazing land will prevent further subdivision or development, unless the land is rezoned, which would allow the restriction to be removed.
Orchard Road Holdings co-director Allan Dippie said the company planned to start work on the project this autumn.
''It involves the farm being completely redeveloped around 18 new house sites.
''We hope to show what can be achieved by a different style of rural residential subdivision rather than the traditional 10-acre block scenario,'' Mr Dippie said.
Eight submitters, most of them neighbours of the property, opposed the application, primarily because of the effect on the visual amenity landscape the property sits within.
A hearing was held in Wanaka in October with commissioners David Collins and Gillian Macleod.
In response to concerns raised, Orchard Road Holdings submitted revised plans which moved the southern cluster of lots further north away from the site boundaries and existing residential properties across Riverbank Rd, and also moved the new access road away from other properties.
Commissioners Macleod and Collins said the ''carefully designed arrangement'' of lots and the various mainly volunteered controls on development would allow 19 future dwellings to fit into the landscape in a way that met the district plan assessment matters and retained the essential landscape character.
''Inevitably, the views across the site presently enjoyed by the owners of adjoining properties will change, but no more than anticipated for this zone under the district plan,'' the commissioners said.
The commissioners said the development was at a low density that would not prevent re-subdivision at an urban density in the event the area was one day rezoned.
