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Council seeks feedback on Sticky Forest access, more Northlake houses

The Wānaka App

Maddy Harker

31 October 2022, 4:06 PM

Council seeks feedback on Sticky Forest access, more Northlake houses Northlake’s proposed plan change, if approved, would allow for houses to be built at Northlake, enable a road to Sticky Forest, and help Northlake meet the conditions required for a retirement village at the NSZ. PHOTO: Wānaka App

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) wants members of the public to weigh in on a proposal which could create road access to the landlocked Sticky Forest.

 

Northlake Investments Ltd (NIL) have requested a private plan change to remove part of a building restriction area at the Northlake Special Zone (NSZ), its expansive subdivision site off Aubrey Road.



This plan change would both enable additional residential development for part of the NSZ of up to 63 additional dwellings, and enable a roading and infrastructure ‘corridor’ from the NSZ to Sticky Forest - a privately-owned forest which is currently used by the public for cycling and walking.

 

Last year NIL gained approval for an 100-unit retirement village at Northlake, but only if it meets certain conditions - one of which is enabling road access to Sticky Forest.


See also: Retirement village approved - with conditions

 

NIL said this condition was one of the “key reasons” it was requesting the plan change. 


The plan change could enable road access to Sticky Forest, a privately owned forest popular with the public as a site for biking and walking. PHOTO: Lake Wānaka Tourism


Located between the Clutha River’s outlet, the Kirimoko subdivision and the NSZ, Sticky Forest contains a labyrinth of mountain biking tracks which are maintained by local groups. 


The forest is held by the Crown for around 1,800 descendants of 57 original Maori grantees who were given the land under the South Island Landless Natives Act as substitute land for settlement redress after they lost ownership of the Hāwea-Wānaka block known as ‘The Neck’.  



Former environment minister David Parker sparked the issue of access to Sticky Forest when he asked the panel considering NIL’s retirement village application to consider whether the project was “a legitimate opportunity to resolve access issues to landlocked Sticky Forest”.


QLDC general manager planning and development Tony Avery said the NIL plan change request would have “no impact” on a separate rezoning appeal for Sticky Forest.



The appeal, which is currently before the Environment Court, came about after one of the Sticky Forest grantees descendants, the late Mike Beresford (acting as an individual not as a representative of the group), sought to have about 20 hectares of the forest rezoned to allow for residential development.


After mediation with QLDC was cancelled, an appeal was lodged with the Environment Court. 


The proposed plan change for the NSZ has been notified and submissions close at 5pm on Thursday November 24.


Anyone interested in making a submission or finding out more can find more information here.