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Revision Of Queenstown Bay Foreshore Reserves Management Plan 2016 Adopted
Councillors made the decision to adopt the partial review of the Queenstown Bay Foreshore Reserves Management Plan (RMP) 2016 at Full Council on Thursday last week.
Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) General Manager Community Services, Thunes Cloete shared that the decision meant the RMP would be revised to include a new policy, including a potential new commercial activity/access area over St Omer Park, near Brunswick Street and Beach Street in Queenstown.
“This review included consideration for a single licence for one formed access across St Omer Park for commercial purposes, in a specific location. This access will be for the sole purpose to assist pedestrian movement across the reserve associated with a commercial activity,” said Dr Cloete.
265 submissions were received on the review of the Queenstown Bay Foreshore Reserves Management Plan 2016, with a Hearing Panel consisting of Councillors Heath Copland, Niamh Shaw and Glyn Lewers hearing from 15 people in support of their submissions.
“Following these submissions, Council’s Hearing Panel has sought to reinforce expectations for public use in St Omer Park, resulting in a new plan that defines and restricts the commercial access area,” said Dr Cloete.
As a result, any potential new commercial pedestrian access area over St Omer Park would be restricted to approximately 25.5m2 (3m x 8.5m).
Dr Cloete acknowledged community feedback on the review, saying that Council understood how deeply the community felt about the protection of St Omer Park.
“While this review does allow for an access over the reserve, the outcome of any consideration to grant such a consent will still be at Council’s discretion, and we have a number of controls to protect St Omer Park,” added Dr Cloete.
In future, any resource consent application would have to demonstrate positive elements which outweigh potential adverse effects to the public’s use of the reserve, and instead materially benefit users of the reserve.
Furthermore, a potential licence for access over St Omer Park could contain conditions that Council considers necessary to assure the public’s rights and enjoyment of the reserve, and to protect free public access to and over the area.
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