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November, 2019 A hotel developer is having a second crack at building Queenstown'shighest building. Graham Wilkinson was granted permission to build a 393-room, seven- storey hotel in Brecon St in July, but now wants to add two additional storeys. If granted, the new central Queenstown hotel would be 27.7 metres high almost twice the 15.5m permitted limit and could have 442 rooms. Wilkinson said the new building would look better than the shorter version. With Skyline reconsidering its plan for conference facilities at the top of the gondola, Wilkinson now thought his hotel might need them. He is considering allowing twice the space for conferences available at the nearby Millennium Hotel, the largest hotel-based conference facility in central Queenstown. That would reduce the number of rooms to about 360. "This is not some cynical room grab. It's about making the building better and getting more flexibility," Wilkinson said. The proposed hotel development is for three and five-star hotels across four buildings and includes a central piazza and 12 commercial spaces. The site is home to an outdoor mini golf facility. It has a convoluted planning history. In early 2018, Wilkinson proposed a nine-storey building but fought against public input. Wilkinson expects the new application to be an easier process. It has been publicly notified, with submissions closing on November 15. He was not concerned about the new proposed height of the building because it was "dwarfed' by Bob's Peak at the rear. The nearby proposed Lakeview development on the former camping ground would allow for buildings up to 11 or 12 storeys, he said. There were buildings of similar heights in Queenstown but they were built into hillsides. A heritage-listed cemetery and stone wall is next to the proposed development but Queenstown Historical Society concerns about the proximity were resolved when Wilkinson did a land swap with the Queenstown District Council to build a road and allow a 20m set back. Historical Society chairwoman Marion Borrell said Wilkinson had been in communication with the organisation and she held no further concerns. Across the road, Queenstown Gold wants to construct a two-storey commercial building. Tenants will include chocolate cafe Max Brenner, dessert cafe Gelato, Mexican restaurant El Camino Cantina, ten-pin bowling, a bar and other retail, commercial or food outlets. Nearby, the council and investors are planning a billion-dollar development over three hectares, including residential housing, hotels, co-working and co-living facilities, and hospitality and retail buildings. Source: stuff
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