Just one submission was received on the Taramea Trust's proposal to establish a perfumery at Speargrass Flat, which was publicly notified last month.
The trust - comprising Ann Pinckney, Michael Pinckney, Ellesmere-Sly and Cargill Trustees Ltd - proposed to undertake additions to its existing commercial winery at Dalefield and to establish a perfumery within the building, which would include retail sales of the product, to be created from speargrass. Works on the site included landscaping and forming 10 car parks.
The building additions proposed comprised a 112sq m utility building and a 72sq m storage shed, with consent also sought to establish a 513sq m residential building platform on a terrace behind the commercial building and construct a dwelling within it, to be used as a manager's residence.
The one submission, from Skipp Williamson - on behalf of Vallant Hooker Trustees Ltd - was opposed to the proposal because the "considerable increase in density, height and volume of buildings on the site alters the look and feel of the site".
"[The] proposed new residential building will be highly visible from our property which is due North across Speargrass Flats (both on the flats and on the hills) and is not screened by trees and nor do we see that it can be screened by berms."
The subject site, a 40-acre farm block, was purchased by Taramea Trust in the late 1970s with an objective to grow grapes and established a winery named Taramea.
The winery building was constructed in 1980 and in 1982 a main residential unit was built.
Grape vines were planted on the hillside beside the winery and along Speargrass Flat Rd and, during its early years, Taramea was the original winery for the Central Otago region.
In 1993, the winery operations were put on hold and in 1997 Taramea was leased out as the Taramea Small Winemakers Centre.
While the site still held resource consent for a wine production and tasting facility, only a small quantity of wine was now produced.
However, the trust proposed to continue using the buildings - both existing and proposed - for winemaking and tasting, but sought flexibility so the commercial buildings could be permitted to operate as a perfumery.
Along with the proposal to manufacture and store of a fragrance from speargrass, the trust proposed a "small boutique type showroom".
