The discovery of a 28-year-old building permit requiring 20 "on-site'' car parks at the St Columba Anglican Church site in McDougall St appears to have thrown a spanner in the works of the Wanaka Community House Charitable Trust's plans to build on the land.
The church has no on-site parks and, as well, it has leased most of its vacant land to the trust for the community house to accommodate government and social and community organisations.
The trust applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council for resource consent for the building.
The consent hearing a fortnight ago was adjourned by independent commissioners Andrew Henderson and Jane Taylor after two days of evidence because of "some matters'' raised by the lawyer for several parties, Graeme Todd.
"We consider that there are a number of material matters that require addressing before we can proceed further,'' the commissioners said in a minute to the hearing.
One matter was on-site car parking.
The community house trust's application, which includes 17 car parks on the land it has leased from the church, had been advanced, said the commissioners, on the basis the church "did not require any on-site car parking''.
However, a 1988 building permit issued to the church and presented at the hearing suggested the church should have 20 off-street car parks.
That could leave the church and the trust with a requirement to find a total of 37 on-site parks.
The commissioners said no evidence had been provided on whether the building permit requirement had been "superseded or otherwise amended''.
"As Mr Todd subsequently noted, should we be minded to grant consent, on the face of it, St Columba's Church may be in breach of this permit.
"We therefore consider it appropriate and necessary to seek independent legal advice as to the standing of this building permit.''
The commissioners also noted other traffic and parking complications in the area.
Dame Sukhi Turner was yesterday "still optimistic'' the trust she chairs would get consent.
She was reluctant to discuss the issues that led to the adjournment.
"We've been asked several questions and car-parking is one of them. We're not looking at it in a negative way at all.''
A date is yet to be set for the hearing to resume.
