Roger Gardiner, an owner of three commercial properties in Wanaka, told commissioners on the fourth day of a council plan change hearing to determine whether the proposed 100ha Three Parks development can proceed on the outskirts of town, that the project needed a "massive reality check".
Mr Gardiner said he had contacted the property managers of five large national retail chains - Big Save Furniture, Briscoes, Rebel Sports, Harvey Norman, and The Warehouse - identified as possible candidates for Three Parks.
A Queenstown Lakes District Council-commissioned report from the Retail Consulting Group forecast that these retailer types would take up to 8000sq m of commercial space at a secondary town centre in Wanaka by 2016.
The Warehouse was the only retailer from the group which seriously considered Wanaka as a location for a new store, yet "they said they wanted to be located in the existing town centre", he said.
The economics of establishing a new, large-format retail zone in Wanaka were "at best marginal" and projections for Three Parks were "wildly optimistic", Mr Gardiner said.
Three Parks is an ambitious residential, commercial, and retail development wanted by property developer Allan Dippie's Willowridge Developments Ltd on a 100ha farmland site bounded by the main entrance to Wanaka (SH84) and Ballantyne Rd.
Opponents to the scheme contend that a secondary retail centre at Three Parks catering for large format retailers will kill off Wanaka's existing town centre.
However, Mr Dippie says many of those against Three Parks are "trade competitors" and "outsiders" with a vested interest in his development failing.
Auckland lawyer John Young presented a submission to QLDC commissioners Gillian Macleod, of Queenstown, and Leigh Overton, of Wanaka, on behalf of property development companies Shotover Park Ltd and Mount Cardrona Station.
Shotover Park is responsible for developing an industrial and commercial business park on the outskirts of Frankton, near Queenstown's airport.
Mount Cardrona Station owns land at Cardrona township, which was recently rezoned via a council plan, to allow for a development of about 1360 residential units capable of catering for up to 3400 people.
Mr Young said his clients shared the concerns of Wanaka residents, who "place considerable value on the existing unique character of the town".
Three Parks had a real, considerable, and potential risk of undermining the vitality and viability of Wanaka's town centre, which would be injurious to the Lakes district "as a whole", he said.
The Three Parks plan change attracted considerable public opposition, with 63% of submissions received (27 of 43) opposing the development.
Three parks hearing: Day 4
> Wanaka architect Chris Norman says council reports identifying need for secondary town centre are "fundamentally flawed" and ignorant of "commercial localisation" concepts, which would focus on smaller centres in satellite towns, such as Lake Hawea and Albert Town.
> Wanaka commercial property owner Roger Gardiner contacts property managers at five major national "big box" retail chains, which Three Parks developers say are likely to be attracted to the area, and is told Wanaka is "not even on the radar" for their store expansion plans.
> Auckland lawyer John Young says Wanaka could become a "dormitory town" with a split identity as commercial and retail centres at different locations "fracture" the resort's vitality, affecting its attractiveness for residents, visitors, and tourists.
> Three Parks developer Allan Dippie gives evidence on behalf of Orchard Road Holdings Ltd - another development company he has interests in, which owns more land "banked" on the outskirts of Wanaka close to Three Parks.
> Quote of the Day: "This is the largest planning issue ever faced by Wanaka... Yet, people who live here are unable to control the future direction of the town," Wanaka resident and commercial property owner Roger Gardiner expresses concerns about a secondary town centre at Three Parks.
