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GROWING QUEENSTOWN WELL

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July, 2021

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) elected members adopted the
Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan yesterday, the first to be prepared for
the district.
The Grow Well Whaiora Partnership, a new Urban Growth Partnership
between central government, Ki Tahu and QLDC, has worked together
over the past three years to develop a Spatial Plan for the district.
The Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan sets out a vision and framework for
how and where our district will grow, in this case out to 2050. It defines
appropriate locations for future growth and how it is supported by the
right infrastructure including ways of moving around, and access to
schools, healthcare and other community facilities.
Council Chief Executive Officer Mike Theelen thanked the many
community members, stakeholders and agencies who have taken the
time to contribute to the development of this first plan over the past
three years.
The final Spatial Plan that was presented for adoption has been shaped
by feedback from our community, input from local businesses and
organisations, and through the close collaboration of the Grow Well
Whaiora Partnership, with the goal of providing a shared vision for the
future. This will also help all parties in the partnership to align planning
and investment toward delivering on that vision, Mr Theelen said.
Community engagement has played a key part in the process of shaping
the plan from day one, with feedback from the recent consultation
resulting in changes to the draft plan prior to yesterdays full council
meeting. The council received 147 submissions during the March-April
consultation period, and 35 people chose to address a Hearings Panel at
meetings held in Queenstown and Wnaka.
The submissions were broad in scope with common themes around
population and employment projections, climate change and growth
patterns. All the recommended changes outlined in the report from the
Hearings Panel Chair were incorporated into the final plan, added Mr
Theelen.
Key changes to the proposed Queenstown Lakes Spatial Plan considered
by councillors were as follows:
" Further clarity on climate change considerations across the five
outcomes and the benefits of more compact urban form and mode shift
to public transport.
" Added detail around expected population growth of the Upper
Clutha versus Queenstown/Wakatipu Basin.
" Further information around the strategic importance of Frankton,
the Five Mile corridor and the Queenstown to Frankton corridor for
accommodating future growth in the Wakatipu Basin including key
trade-offs between growth in these locations and airport operations.
" Priority development areas in the Upper Clutha to include
Southern Wnaka as a future alternative for urban growth, instead of
Hwea.
" Added detail relating to dependency on public transport provision
ahead of further growth of Lake Hwea (beyond that provided for by the
Proposed District Plan and Special Housing Area).
The adoption of the Spatial Plan is a significant milestone for the
district as it will provide a roadmap for the future, helping to ensure
the best possible outcomes for residents, visitors and the environment.
We look forward to continuing the next phase of work together with our
Grow Well Whaiora partners as we start to deliver the programme of
work identified in this final plan, Mr Theelen said.
Going forward, the Spatial Plan will be reviewed on a three-year cycle
except for the next plan cycle which will be completed within two
years. This is to enable the Spatial Plan to inform the 2024 Ten Year Plan
and 30 Year Infrastructure Strategy.