The Queenstown Lakes District Council's North Three Parks plan change would cause "all sorts of difficulties" for the landowners, for the neighbouring developer and for the wider community, lawyer Graeme Todd said at a public hearing yesterday.
Mr Todd was acting for Allan Dippie's company, Willowridge Developments Ltd, at a hearing for plan change 4, which seeks to rezone 46.8ha of privately owned rural general land near the Wanaka Golf Course and Ballantyne Rd to provide land for part of Wanaka's new sports facilities site, for low and medium-density residential housing, for visitor accommodation and for business activities.
The area is next to 100ha of land owned by Willowridge Developments covered by the Three Parks zone, created by Plan Change 16 in 2011.
The main North Three Parks landowner is Ballantyne Investments Ltd, whose directors are Bill Haig and Neil Matchett.
Paterson Pitts planner Duncan White, representing Ballantyne Investments, said the plan change would provide a logical location for Wanaka's urban expansion as it connected the current urban edge of Wanaka with the approved Three Parks zone.
He said the design outcomes sought in both areas were consistent, so it was efficient to extend the existing Three Park zone over the plan change area, rather than developing a further set of rules.
Mr Todd objected to a "clip on" plan change to the Three Parks Zone.
"What we have here is something that I would suggest is similar to having a bridge and then clipping on an extra lane without undertaking an engineering report," Mr Todd said.
"I question whether or not anybody has sat down and carefully considered whether or not, by clipping on the extra land, the zone works."
He asked that the plan change be postponed until next year's notification of the district plan review.
Mr Dippie said the plan change had been given "very little scrutiny" compared to the Three Parks plan change, which had taken 10 years to bring into effect.
Attention was given to established Douglas fir trees on the eastern boundary of the plan change area within the Wanaka Golf Course which created shading issues and reduced ball strike in the plan-change area.
A linear reserve of 15m to 20m plus a 10m building setback along the golf course boundary has been proposed to address these issues.
Golf club administration manager Kim Badger and long-time club member Neville Harris both asked for a "no complaints covenant" over Ballantyne Investments' land to protect the trees and their important screening role.
Landowners Roger Moseby and Marilyn Gordon were concerned about the planned closure of the direct access off State Highway 84 into their property - contained within the plan change area - once alternative rear access was provided via local roads in Three Parks and North Three Parks.
"We wish to retain the right to develop independently of the two main developers," Mr Moseby said.
The hearing concludes today.
