And, after a contentious legal battle which has lasted almost five years, the court has granted an appeal by Thurlby Domain owners Revell and Vicki Buckham, enabling them to host up to 50 events a year.
Originally developed in the 1870s by prominent business and political leader Bendix Hallenstein, the Speargrass Flat property has been owned by the Buckhams for almost 35 years.
During their ownership, they stabilised the ruins of Mr Hallenstein’s original mansion and restored other historic buildings on the site.
Over the years, they have also allowed a host of community groups and individuals to use the property, including for fundraisers, and charged a fee for private events, proceeds of which went back into maintaining and restoring the grounds and buildings.
In 2021, Queenstown Lake District Council commissioners refused consent for the Buckhams to host up to 100 events a year at the property, an application which was opposed by a group of 11 neighbours.
Now, after three days of hearings between last November and February, the court has upheld the Buckhams’ appeal, enabling them to host 10 events of up to 150 people per year and 40 events of up to 80 people.
But the couple said they remained disappointed by the stance taken by their opponents, who opposed the appeal on the grounds excessive noise was coming from events at Thurlby.
Mr Buckham said the neighbours refused to engage with them constructively in "over-the-fence" discussions to express their concerns, or to find out the facts about the events.
The group came to believe the events were being run unlawfully and erroneously assumed any party noise in the area was coming from Thurlby Domain. Rejecting the Buckhams’ offers to meet, they had insisted instead on communicating through their lawyers.
Mr Buckham said one particular neighbour felt entitled to "effectively impugn the reputation of the Buckham family", but did not produce any evidence to support her allegations.
As a retired lawyer, he was used to litigation and combative court hearings, but it had been stressful for his wife - a long-serving justice of the peace - and their family, Mr Buckham said.
During the hearing, the court heard the Buckhams had been holding permitted events on the property for over three decades, well before the opposing neighbours moved to the area.
Their proposal for "low-key" events, mostly weddings, included stringent controls over issues such as noise and parking.
Their lawyer told the court the couple were not motivated by financial gain, as the income they earned from the events "far from covered" the costs of maintaining the property, which has five category 1-listed historic buildings.
Mr Buckham said the couple originally applied for 100 events a year because the council had indicated consent was needed for anyone visiting the property, "whether a photographer, artist, school party or interested passers-by".
They scaled back the proposal to 50 events a year, with an unlimited number of "very small daytime events" of up to 20 people.
In granting the appeal, the court found the events would have only minor effects on neighbours.
