The Wānaka Golf Club (WGC) has turned down a proposal to have a portion of the council’s ‘schools to pool’ cycleway built on golf course land.

The club was approached by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) staff with a proposal to create a segment of the cycleway, connecting Ballantyne Road to Three Parks, on the golf course.

The proposal required cutting down a 200m stretch of trees on the club’s 18th hole, which borders Three Parks land, and encroaching five metres into the 18th hole boundary to construct the cycleway.  

Fifteen metres of land has already been set aside for a road to connect the Golf Course/Ballantyne Road intersection with Three Parks but there’s insufficient space to include a separate cycleway.

The WGC said while it sympathised with the council’s position the golf course is Crown Reserve land gifted for the specific purpose of golf and recreation only and could not be given away to satisfy council’s infrastructure needs.

The club suggested instead that the council should consider the privately owned, undeveloped land on the other side of the proposed roadway, or investing further in the current informal bike path from Ballantyne Road to the Recreation Centre. 

The club said the trees along the 18th hole were planted specifically to contain golf balls within the course and there were safety concerns about having a cycleway next to the golf course with no trees for protection. 

Meanwhile, the club’s own plans to beautify its entranceway have been delayed by a council requirement to fulfill all the conditions of a new licence to occupy (LTO) the road reserve at the club’s entrance off Ballantyne Road.

The club recently began the project to build a one by ten metre stacked stone wall, complete with drainage and a new metal sign, believing it only required written consent from the QLDC.

However, council staff reviewed the existing LTO and revealed it neither covered the area of the stone wall nor allowed additional signage, structures or landscaping. 

As there was no consent for the work a stop work notice was issued.

A new LTO was approved by the Wānaka Community Board at its December meeting but its 14 conditions, including gaining resource consent for its sign and the approval of council engineers to ensure the wall will not impede sight-lines for pedestrians or vehicles, or compromise council infrastructure, means the work on the wall will not resume until next year.

PHOTO: Wānaka App