Tenure review fears 'addressed in plan'

Conservationists fear changes to tenure review could lead to massive high-country lakeside development.

The Government has reversed the previous policy, allowing lakeside properties back into the tenure review process provided the land is retained in Crown ownership or covenanted to restrict subdivisions.

The change to the ruling could affect more than 40 holdings near lakes Aviemore, Benmore, Ohau, Pukaki, and Tekapo.

Other rulings in the new policy include:

Landowners will also have to ensure there are no large artificial structures, barriers or subdivisions within five kilometres of a lake.

There are no significant alterations of the lake shore. The owners can demonstrate there is no pollution or significant impact on the environment.

Aoraki Conservation Board chairman Steven Lowndes said he was concerned about the change's implications.

"Effectively, it's only changing a few sentences, but it seems to sum up the government's approach to conservation estates," he said.

"It opens up the area to the potential for large-scale development.

"This won't happen overnight, due to the fact that each property will have to go through the process separately, but we will see changes in the area."

Mackenzie mayor John O'Neill said he did not see any problem with the policy change, as a soon-to-be announced district plan change would address the concerns and prevent overdevelopment in lakeside areas.

Although Mr O'Neill was not prepared to reveal the details of the plan change before it was fully notified, he said he was confident the plan would be effective.

"I think there should be no real concerns about the consent process ignoring cumulative effects as it's inherent in the assessment," he said.

"If one building is allowed, then its effects on the environment are seen to be negligible, the next two applying for consent will have to take the other one into account," Mr O'Neill said.

Mr Lowndes said the changes would place more onus on the Resource Management Act (RMA).

"The problem with the RMA is that it analyses effects on a one-by-one basis, rather than looking at the cumulative effects of this development.

"You find that once you reach the actual consent process, very few applications get declined, it's less than 5 per cent."

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