


			Exit This Story

QUEENSTOWN STAFF HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Print Page

October, 2018

Queenstowns affordable rental accommodation squeeze is taking its
toll on one of the resorts biggest employers.
Tourism heavyweight Real Journeys is proposing to build a staff village
at Walter Peak, providing housing for up to 50 people.
Its lodged a resource consent application for accommodation to house
permanent and seasonal workers at Walter Peak on the other side of
Lake Wakatipu, where the TSS Earnslaw journeys to.
It will enable the company to retain staff and reduce overall staff costs.
At present there is the lack of affordable rental accommodation in
Queenstown which makes living and working in Queenstown long-term
unsustainable for many, the application reads.
The company hasnt come up with a final design for the village, as it
wants to undertake a design and tender process.
But it does envisage a mix of buildings to create a village feel, which
could include one-bedroom units to eight-bedroom units as well as
communal facilities.
There will also be two managers houses which will contain three
bedrooms. The company which also owns the Earnslaw, Cardrona
skifield and various other tourism businesses plans the buildings to be
sustainable, potentially solar-powered and well insulated. The plans
feature up to 24 parking spaces.
The development of the staff village provides the opportunity for staff
to live on site, reducing daily travel times across the lake and
accordingly decreasing the overall length of the work day for
employees.
Real Journeys staff boss Kevin Sharpe says: Real Journeys wants to
provide core staff with accommodation at Walter Peak in the same way
we provide it for our teams in Milford Sound.

ODT