In December, Northlake Investments Ltd requested a plan change to the Northlake special zone, to provide space for a supermarket and a retirement village to be built in the future.
The request sought to increase the size of the commercial zone by 4.2ha, increase the total retail space from 1000sqm to 2500sqm, and allow a single retail activity within that area to have a space of 1250sqm, most likely a supermarket.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council put the plan change request out for public notification in mid-January and had received 13 submissions, all but one of which opposed the application.
Stephen Popperwell, a neighbouring resident to Northlake, submitted it was ``quite clear that the developers of this subdivision are intent on pushing the boundaries at every opportunity''.
``It is all take by the developers. Their objective is clearly to make as much money as they can, without consideration for the community as a whole,'' he said.
Some current Northlake residents were concerned by the potential increased traffic from having a larger commercial zone.
Kim Parry submitted she ``would like to see more thought and community discussion put into the traffic management, infrastructure and proposed size of the commercial development''.
Mrs Parry believed the roads were too narrow and there were already safety concerns due to the amount of traffic going through the area.
Fellow resident Lindsey Turner agreed.
``The plan change needs to include traffic calming measures for Mount Linton Ave and Northlake Dr, such as speed bumps and narrowed road sides to discourage commercial use of this road which runs through firstly a rural residential area into high density housing.''
``Currently it has become a big issue of concern and needs to be addressed urgently to ensure that it is only used as intended and is a safe road for resident in the area which it currently is not,'' she said.
Three other local developers - Willowridge Developments Ltd, Central Land Holdings Ltd, and Exclusive Developments Ltd - opposed the application for various reasons.
Exclusive Developments, which is developing the neighbouring Hikuwai subdivision, believed the proposed changes would have ``serious detrimental effects'' including a significant impact on traffic, several environmental effects such as increased stormwater discharge into the Clutha River, and ``unacceptable effects on the landscape that are not capable of being mitigated.''
Willowridge and Central Land Holdings, the developers of the Three Parks and Anderson Heights subdivisions, submitted the application had no need for increased retail space and had not given appropriate consideration to the ``full development potential of Three Parks or the permitted activity status of retail activity at Anderson Heights in the Proposed District Plan''.
Further submissions on the application close this Thursday, March 22.
