An Environment Court appeal has been lodged against the siting of the proposed new Wanaka police station.
In May, the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) approved a notice of requirement for the designation of 2130sq m of reserve land on Ballantyne Rd, next to the Department of Conservation building, for police purposes.
MacPherson St property owner Roger Boyd has appealed to the Environment Court against the decision by the Minister of Police to confirm the QLDC recommendation.
The application for the notice of requirement made by the New Zealand Police said the existing station in Helwick St was no longer big enough to accommodate the number of staff Wanaka's policing required.
In his appeal, Mr Boyd said there was "no convincing case" as to why a new police station was needed, and adequate consideration had not been given to alternative sites for a new station.
He said development on the site - which could eventually include a relocated Wanaka Volunteer Fire Brigade building as well - would increase existing traffic flows in the area and rule out one of the identified options for future traffic planning in the Wanaka Transportation Study.
The land in question was also one of "the few remaining green belts in Wanaka", Mr Boyd said. He has asked the Environment Court to cancel the notice of requirement so the police station cannot proceed, and so "the land is preserved for the enjoyment of future generations".
Wanaka police sub-area commander Senior Sergeant Allan Grindell said the appeal was "just a process that we have to go through".
A telephone conference will be held soon with the parties involved in the appeal to determine whether it will proceed to a hearing or whether an earlier resolution is possible.
