Commissioners David Mead, Jan Caunter and Scott Stevens released their interim decision with regard to the retirement village proposal yesterday, following a resource consent hearing held over three days in January.
The commissioners refused consent to Sanderson Group for five units and two lots - two villa units in the southern retirement village, and three in the Onslow Rd West area along with two lots in the same area - because they fall inside the outstanding natural landscape (ONL) area.
However, the units may be able to be relocated or redesigned so they fall outside the ONL.
"If the applicant wishes to pursue the amendments ... then it has leave to prepare and present alternative layout plans within two weeks of this decision being issued.''
They said the planned 10m-high, 70m-long clubhouse, fronting Ladies Mile, was "too dominant'', but agreed with a revised design, which reduced the footprint by 22%, to 9.3m-high and 60m-long.
"We find that this reduction helps reduce the visual presence of the building somewhat and increases the open space between it and the group of villas either side.''
Regarding landscape effects, the commissioners said, overall, they were "substantially more than minor, even with mitigation in place''.
"The change to the rural landscape along the State Highway frontage and the terrace that lies between Shotover Country and Lake Hayes Estate will be irreversible and will move this part of the district into an urban form, particularly changing the views from the state highway.
"While the applicant has proposed a variety of design controls and planting to mitigate these effects, there is no escaping the hard reality that the rural character will be lost.''
A submission was made during the hearing that Sanderson Group should make a financial contribution towards the cost of a future roundabout at the intersection of the state highway and Howards Dr, but the commissioners said there were "no substantive grounds'' to impose such a condition.
"We do agree that a roundabout (or some other form of upgrade) will be needed in the future, but ultimately the timing of that is a decision for the road controlling authority to make, not us.
"How those works will be funded is unknown and it would be inappropriate for us to impose a financial contribution without a cost estimate and a robust analysis of the incremental contribution of the development to the need for a roundabout.''
The applicant had proposed some works to improve the intersection and, in their closing, offered a condition which would require the land needed to accommodate a roundabout to be kept free of development and be offered to NZTA if it was requested.
"We see this [as] a helpful suggestion and agree with it.''
With regard to the boatshed cafe/restaurant, commissioners restricted opening hours to between 8am and 10pm, the latter being "a hard and final closing time''.
Commissioners imposed lapse periods of between one and five years.
The interim decision also contained 54 pages of conditions.
