An Australian developer has swapped one novelty transport system for another after the Queenstown plans were knocked back by the fast-track process.
A fast-track application for two cable railway operations at Queenstown’s Fernhill have been declined, but backers, Bowen Peak Ltd, have turned their attention to specialised cable cars instead.
The company had planned to create two funicular railways, or cable railway systems.
One, a $94 million route up the Ben Lomond Saddle to a new chairlift, skifield and mountain bike park, the other a $60m branch up to a proposed 1040-unit suburban subdivision, dubbed "Fernhill Heights".
Both branches would have stemmed from a new commercial precinct flagged to include retail and hospitality, along with a 1500-person international convention centre and carpark within the One Mile Recreation Reserve, neighbouring Lake Wakatipu.
However, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop declined the referral application for the whole project on the basis he did not have "adequate information to inform the referral decision".
"Without sufficient detail, the minister is not satisfied that the project would deliver significant regional or national benefits, nor that referring the project would be unlikely to affect the efficient operation of the fast-track approvals process.
"In particular, the referral application raises substantial concerns regarding the project’s feasibility, especially in relation to Three Waters infrastructure servicing, risks associated with natural hazards, a conflict with [Queenstown Lakes District] council’s arterial bypass and the viability of the proposed skifield."
In a statement on the company’s website, Dr Hingston said the company had gone "back to the drawing board" and were now assessing a pylon-based specialised cable car, described as "clean, green, quiet and discreet", instead of the ground-based cable railway.
It was hoped the new transport system could function with minimal disturbance to the outstanding natural landscape and could generate the "long-term international tourist income stream to help ‘restore the reserve’ as close as possible back to its original native state".
The applicant had invited public feedback on the proposal until November 28, while it was also engaging with rūnaka, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Otago Regional Council and the Fernhill/Sunshine Bay Community Association.
Meanwhile, a panel had been appointed for the RCL Homestead Bay fast-track application.
In a minute, panel convener Jane Borthwick announced chairwoman Jayne MacDonald, Dr Jane Kitson, Alan Pattle and local authority nominee Rosalind Day-Cleavin would make a decision on the application to develop about 2800 residential allotments and an 1100sq m commercial retail precinct.
The application also included features such as parks and native revegetation on land south of Jack’s Point.
Subject to the processing of the application being suspended, the panel’s decision is due on February 18.
