The Australian hardware giant wants to spend $33 million building the store on a 1.6ha site beside the Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway.
The company’s legal counsel, Daniel Minhinnick, told commissioners at Tuesday’s hearing that since lodging its application last April, it had revised its plans in response to concerns of the Queenstown Lakes District Council and three of four submitters.
But the proposal’s effect on the supply of industrial land remained an area of contention, Mr Minhinnick said.
District plan rules for the special industrial zone in which the proposal was located had a "strict interpretation" of the trade supply business, categorising it as retail rather than industrial activity.
The council’s economic peer reviewer, Derek Foy, had argued retail activity on the site would exacerbate an expected shortfall of industrial land in the Wakatipu in the future.
However, Bunnings’ two economic consultants concluded there was enough vacant industrial land to meet demand until 2030.
If the proposed rezoning of 19.5ha of land south of the Remarkables ski area access road went ahead, there would be "more than sufficient" industrial land in the Wakatipu for the next 20 years.
Bunnings national property development manager Brett Moody told commissioners the company decided in 2010 it wanted to build a store in the resort, but finding a suitable site had proved "extremely difficult".
Other sites considered had been too small, too expensive or badly located.
Mr Minhinnick said Bunnings had responded to council concerns by making changes to the design of the building’s exterior, site layout and landscaping.
In response to NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) concerns, it had revised its traffic access plan so that entry from the highway would be for left-turning vehicles only.
A second entry, and exit, would be from a new side road connected to Hawthorne Dr.
He dismissed a submission by H&J Smith Ltd as motivated by a desire to restrict competition in Queenstown’s trade supply market.
H&J Smith was the sole shareholder in Cross Roads Properties, which owned and operated the nearby Mitre 10 Mega store.
Two more submissions were from individuals with concerns about the development’s visual appearance, lack of provision for cyclists, traffic safety on the highway and exterior signage.
The 8119sq m building proposed is slightly bigger than the Mitre 10 Mega about 150m away. It would consist of a main warehouse, garden centre, timber and building materials yard, and parking for 134 vehicles.
The site is occupied by Shotover Garden Centre and a house.
The hearing was presided over by chairman Lee Beattie and commissioners Gina Sweetman and Jan Caunter.
