The cost of introducing tighter controls over subdivision and development in Upper Clutha’s rural zone could top $1 million.
An agreement between the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Upper Clutha Environment Society announced this week paves the way for a landscape and land-use planning study to be carried out and used as the basis for district plan regulations.
The society’s aim is to protect the Upper Clutha basin’s best landscape features.
In February, the council environment general manager Tony Avery said the "enormous" cost was the main reason the council did not want to commission the study.
In response to an Otago Daily Times request, a council spokesman said yesterday the first step to identify the Upper Clutha landscape values and to draft schedules, was estimated to cost from $60,000 to $80,000.
That would be followed by a plan change process, with hearings and potential appeals.
"We would expect any changes to existing development rights resulting from protecting landscape areas to be keenly debated, and variously supported and opposed by the community and highly likely to be appealed to the Environment Court.
"All up, we would expect the entire process to cost at least $500,000 to $1 million, and possibly more."
A similar process has been followed in the Wakatipu Basin.
The council’s decision to do the same for Upper Clutha resulted in the society withdrawing its High Court appeal over aspects of the proposed district plan.
