ORC to chip in on QLDC plan

The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has agreed to fund part of the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) spatial plan, up to $50,000.

The decision came after Cr Deaker questioned where the unbudgeted money would come from, and was told it would come from reserves or from within other budgets.

Cr Michael Laws asked if the arrangement was exclusive to the QLDC, or would other local authorities also be seeking contributions.

Team leader urban development Kyle Balderston said the ORC had similar obligations towards the Dunedin City Council, and "similar but lesser" obligations towards Waitaki and Central Otago.

Mr Balderston said the spatial plan process was costing local authorities between $1million and $2million.

The ORC’s contribution will go towards the QLDC’s housing capacity assessment required for planning and forecasting.

The QLDC is commissioning the assessment.

A background paper to the meeting said development in the Queenstown Lakes area had been developer led, "resulting in relatively ad hoc and sometimes poorly integrated rural and urban development".

This had "challenged" the capacity of government to provide adequate infrastructure of all types, and had impacted on the community and environment.

The spatial plan would help to guide short-term decisions about recovery from Covid-19 and investments to support "a more managed and sustainable approach to growth when demand returns in the future".

Cr Gretchen Robertson said it was a "great opportunity" for the ORC to work with the QLDC.

 

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