Yet another proposed Queenstown subdivision with 2,531 houses is racing through the fast-track process. This time it's 'Homestead Bay', on the southern border of Jack's Point.
NZTA says taking into account other consented developments, Homestead Bay will tip the scales and the southern corridor will soon exceed the capacity of SH6.
Queenstown Council is already pumping dodgy sewage into the Kawarau River and has no spare wastewater capacity to connect the new subdivision.
But no worries... a 3 person panel has given it the go-ahead anyway. Landscape architect Joanna Dey submitted:
"If growth continues without careful management, the very qualities that make this district desirable — its landscape, community character and liveability — will be permanently eroded."
I'd argue that unmanaged growth has been a hallmark of Queenstown planning for more than twenty years. Fast-track has just amplified the greed.