The Upper Clutha Environmental Society (UCES) has forced the council to make a u-turn on its decision not to undertake a landscape and land use study in the Upper Clutha basin.

In a negotiated agreement announced yesterday (June 3) the UCES agreed to withdraw its appeal to the High Court, UCES spokesperson Julian Haworth said.

In return the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) confirmed it would carry out landscape analysis of the entire Upper Clutha basin. 

The analysis will include an assessment of the cumulative adverse effects on landscape character of developments and rural living subdivisions, and may result in tougher rules in the basin on the location, quantity, density and design of residences in rural landscapes, Julian said. 

“The society is delighted that, as a result of its work on the District Plan over many years, these impressive Upper Clutha landscapes will be better protected for future generations,” he said.

The UCES had been growing increasingly concerned as changes to the QLDC’s Proposed District Plan (PDP) indicated more Upper Clutha rural land could be opened up to development. 

The society opposed the Environment Court’s interim findings to identify only priority areas of the Upper Clutha basin and include them in the PDP.

The UCES contended instead the findings of a land use study would better inform amendments to the PDP, such as potential changes to rules around subdivisions and rural living developments, in the same way the council’s $95,000 landscape study of the Wakatipu basin in 2017 had done.

When QLDC planning and environment general manager Tony Avery told a planning and strategy committee meeting in February that a land use study for the Upper Clutha was too costly to pursue, the UCES filed its appeal to the High Court.

In a statement yesterday (June 3), a council spokesperson said although the QLDC accepted the Environment Court’s original findings, it now accepts that ongoing management of the Upper Clutha basin’s special landscapes would benefit from a study that assesses the entire area.

The withdrawal of this litigation enables the QLDC to continue the process of identifying priority areas for identification of landscape values. 

“The QLDC acknowledges the society’s commitment to these issues and appreciates the way it has worked with council,” the council spokesperson said.

PHOTO: Wanaka App