Mt Cardrona Station’s developers recognised a milestone last weekend, acknowledging the first new homeowners to take up residence in the high country development.

At an event last Saturday (July 27), a crowd gathered to witness Queenstown Lakes District mayor Glyn Lewers cut a ribbon in recognition of the development’s progress since its inception more than a decade ago.

“It’s great to see it start to come to life with new homes being built,” he said.

“I enjoyed a personal tour around the wider site today and have a good appreciation for the long term vision and benefits this development could bring to the local area and wider district.”

The scale of the MCS development is obscured by dust from vehicles using the neighbouring Cardrona Alpine Resort road.

Mt Cardrona Station (MCS) co-owner Chris Morton said he was ecstatic to have reached this milestone and for homeowners to begin moving into their homes.

“We’re proud to see our hard work enter the next stage….”

The first two homes in the alpine village, being developed on a plateau above the Cardrona Valley Road and neighbouring the Cardrona Alpine Resort, were occupied a couple of weeks ago and another 13 are under construction.

Around 600 individual homes, apartments and townhouses are planned. 

The mayor said he understood MCS would be contributing land for eight homes to the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust as affordable housing stock.

After years of pre-planning, MCS submitted a plan change proposal (Plan change 52) to the QLDC to develop a 400ha portion of the station’s farmland in 2017. 

To achieve this plan, a wastewater treatment plant and a reticulated drinking water supply was constructed to serve not only the new development but also Cardrona Village, which previously depended on privately owned water bores, some of which were non-compliant, and septic tanks.

The infrastructure, costing $35M for both projects, was built in a joint partnership between the QLDC and MCS. 

The mayor said partnering with MCS to construct this infrastructure was “a huge benefit” to the wider Cardrona community as the improvements to the environment and public health could be delivered more affordably.

“Cardrona village now has access to reticulated community wastewater and water supply schemes, which will meet any long term needs that future growth might bring,” he said.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App