Locals upset with building height plan

Many Arrowtown residents are aghast at the possibility 12m-high housing — 11m plus a pitched roof — could cut a swathe through the historic township.

On Wednesday, the village was named a finalist in Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s "most beautiful small town" and "best street" awards.

However, under a Queenstown Lakes District Council-proposed "urban intensification" variation — responding to the government’s national policy statement for urban development — the new height limit could apply to 266 medium density-zoned properties around some of the old Adamson subdivision.

This zone, which allows 7m-high, or two-storey housing, includes properties bounded on one or both sides by parts of Adamson Dr and Centennial Ave, Argyle Pl, Thomson St, Premier Pl, Jenkins Pl, Payne Pl, Ritchie St, Preston Dr and Kent St.

Arrowtown’s Lakes District Museum director and planning advisory group chairman David Clarke, a former councillor, said "the question is, is 12m reasonable in a town that is freezing cold in winter and you want every bit of sunlight you can get?".

"And, also, are the services there to service it — cars, stormwater, water, electricity?"

He also questioned how three- to four-storey housing, with little or any setback from a property’s boundary, squared with Arrowtown’s 2016 design guidelines which suggested houses took cognisance of the neighbourhood character of the village’s "old town".

"I would like as many people as possible to submit [by September 21] if they’re not in favour of it, so central government gets the idea it’s not appropriate here."

Mr Clarke also suggested the issue could trigger renewed discussion over extending Arrowtown’s town boundary, given the point of the government’s "national statement" was to increase the stock of affordable housing.

Meanwhile, a group of concerned locals erected a 12m-high post beside Four Square Arrowtown, in Adamson Dr, on Saturday to help people picture how high 12m was.

One of those locals, Mark Kramer, said that height limit was "beyond ludicrous".

"It would consign a large proportion of the centre of Arrowtown, which is pretty challenged as far as sunlight goes, to purgatory.

"If they did this in front of my place, I wouldn’t get a scrap of sunlight in my lounge for five months of the year."

Tomorrow, the council is hosting a drop-in session on the issue at the Arrowtown Community Centre, from 5pm until 7pm.

— Philip Chandler