Extension of Queenstown Town Centre Zone Proposed

The Queenstown Lakes District Council is initiating a change to the District Plan, to extend the area designated as Town Centre in downtown Queenstown.

The extension would better utilise land available for commercial, community and residential activities. It would include the Council’s Lakeview site and additional privately owned land between Lakeview and the existing CBD.

Chief Executive Adam Feeley said the main purpose of the proposed plan change was to enable the development of Queenstown’s CBD in a coherent and well-planned manner. Although there was a focus on commercial development, the new designation would enable a mix of uses.

Rezoning the Lakeview site as Town Centre could enable part of the site to be used for high density residential development, which would help ease the local housing shortage. It would also give more certainty about the kinds of development that could occur at Lakeview.

The proposed changes would define “convention centre” within the District Plan, making any future development of an international convention centre a restricted discretionary activity in the Town Centre zone.

The zoning change, however, is an independent and wholly separate process from the Council’s continuing investigations into whether a convention centre should be built on the Lakeview site.

The Council is currently reviewing its proposed funding model to reduce the impact on residential ratepayers. If the Lakeview site is rezoned to enable a mix of activities, it will significantly improve the affordability of the proposed convention centre because of the additional revenue which could be generated from other, complementary activities on the site.

Letters have been sent to landowners within the zone and neighbouring the area, inviting their feedback on the proposal.

The Council is also making contact with residents in the area, some of whom are tenants. Mr Feeley said this was pre-consultation, with a full public consultation process beginning once the proposed plan change was formally notified.

“We want to make sure that the landowners and residents in the area are fully aware of what’s proposed and give them an early opportunity to think about what’s being put forward. We will take any feedback into account before the proposed plan change is formally notified.”

Information about the proposed plan change is also on the Council’s website www.qldc.govt.nz

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