Arrowtown rezoning likely

The Queenstown Lakes District Council is today set to accept a private plan change that could allow a 215-home subdivision earmarked for the outskirts of Arrowtown.

An opponent of the plan said she was worried the developer was not being honest about its intentions, but a planner for the project disagreed.

A 30-hectare development, Arrowtown South is to sit at the southern end of the village on land bordered by Centennial Ave and the Arrowtown and The Hills golf courses.

Council policy analyst Karen Page has recommended to the strategy committee that it accept the plan change at today's meeting.

This would allow the applicants, a group of landowners, to consult the community and take part in public hearings.

Opponent Mia Bennie said the developer needed to be honest about its intentions when consulting the public.

"All they've applied to do ... is to change the zoning from rural to residential. There's no guarantee about what that residential development would be."

The developer was not bound to build only 215 homes and could try to build more, she said. It could also sell the newly zoned land to another owner to develop intensively.

But Arrowtown South planner John Edmonds said the plan change had been designed to provide the Arrowtown community with confidence.

The level of detail in the plan change meant many types of later amendments would be non-complying activities, requiring the developer to engage in more consultation with the community, Mr Edmonds said.

Ms Page said the plan change was a lot more prescriptive than other plan changes.

For example, most plan changes did not specify how many houses would be built on rezoned land, she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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