Rehashed plan for 2400 Queenstown homes 'won't solve housing crisis' on its own, mayor says

Tuesday, 2 May 2023

About 100 homeless workers gathered in Queenstown to call for urgent action to resolve the housing crisis. A plan to rezone land at Ladies Mile will provide some relief if it is approved.

A council plan to create 2400 new homes in Queenstown won’t solve the town’s housing crisis on its own, the mayor says.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council’s plan to develop 120 hectares of rural land on Ladies Mile was accepted this year under the Government’s streamlining process, allowing it to proceed faster.

It is now open for public consultation, despite hundreds of residents and commuters opposing it in 2021, fearing it would exacerbate hour-long travel delays at peak times.

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Glyn Lewers is hopeful it will receive more support this time around amid a highly publicised housing crisis, which is crippling local workforces.

In itself, the development would not provide enough homes to solve Queenstown’s housing crisis, he said.

The plan includes some controls on short-term letting, such as Airbnb.

The 2018 Census showed 27% of homes in the Queenstown Lakes District were empty.

“We’re trying to make it so that it’s there for people to live there,” he said.

The issue of vacant homes was more challenging to resolve, he said.

The 2018 Census showed 27% of homes in the district were empty.

Few changes had been made to the 2017 plan that was rejected in 2021, but there was a commitment to prioritise traffic issues, including a new roundabout and public transport, Lewers said.

Queenstown's Ladies Mile master plan, from 2017.

The transport infrastructure would be built at the same time as the houses, instead of after.

“That’s the intent. It will be included in conditions of consent,” he said.

The development is to include a mix of apartments and duplexes, with very little standalone housing.

A new high school and primary school, commercial centre, community facilities and open spaces are also incorporated.

It is reliant on public transport to resolve the traffic issues, with predictions almost 950 cars a day can be removed from the morning rush hour.

The location of Flint’s Park, on the outskirts of Queenstown. Plans for almost 400 residential units there are in flux.

About 20% of the reduction would be the result of removing vehicles travelling to Wakatipu High School, based on the assumption a new high school would be included.

There were also extensive cycleways and walkways.

Queenstown woman Kim Knight joined a call for urgent action to relieve Queenstown's housing crisis, in March.

The land is currently held by in four main landholdings and three sites have already been approved for government fast-tracking.

However, plans for up to 384 residential sites at Flint’s Park were rejected by the consenting authority and the developer says he has appealed against that decision to the High Court.

Former Mayor Jim Boult said the Flint’s Park plan was not compatible with the council’s master plan and would likely worsen congestion on the state highway.

National's housing policy, unveiled by spokesperson Chris Bishop in Queenstown on Thursday, prompted concern from protesters who are concerned about the wellbeing of those who can't get into houses in the tourist town.

The same company is planning 315 homes at Flint’s Park West but has not yet lodged those plans with the authority.

Plans for 748 homes on a site known as Glenpanel are also yet to be lodged.

Lewers said the Government had given the council 264 days to make the new zones operative, and that would offer some certainty to developers.

“The owners of the land are pretty amenable to it. They see the issues as well,” he said.

The plan is open for public consultation with submissions closing on June 9. A Crown-appointed panel will then hear the proposal. Under the streamlined process any appeals will be limited to points of law.