While a decision on the location of Wanaka’s proposed Marine Rescue Centre is weeks away, evidence presented at a resource consent hearing for the centre last week (September 17) was overwhelmingly in its favour.

The application for resource consent by Coastguard Wanaka Lakes (CWL) was heard by independent commissioner Bob Nixon, who also heard and approved the consent for Wanaka’s Watersports Facility.

The commissioner raised concerns about two key elements to the application: the consultation process to decide the location at Eely Point reserve, and the landscaping plan to mitigate the effect of the proposed 220m2 building.

CWL counsel Jenna Silcock told the commissioner the CWL had worked hard to accommodate the various differing viewpoints, saying “it does want to be a good neighbour and really wants to create a good asset for the community”.

CWL president Jonathan Walmisley said seven sites had been identified in the four years since the rescue centre was first proposed, and the current site was chosen by the Wanaka Community Board last year. It received the blessing of the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) which issued the CWL with a 33-year lease for the centre.

The location of the proposed Marine Rescue Centre just inside the Lakeside Drive entrance to Eely Point reserve was chosen by the Wanaka Community Board and approved by the QLDC. 

The commissioner questioned the process leading up to the lease, suggesting those opposed to granting consent believed they had not been properly consulted on the site selection and scale of the building before the lease was signed.

In his report to the commissioner prior to the hearing, QLDC senior planner Aaron Burt said the rescue centre, its scale, design and location were all appropriate for Eely Point Reserve and that perceived adverse effects are addressed by the lease approved under the public process.

Public consultation earlier this year resulted in 75 submissions in support of the proposed building and its location, and two opposed.

Jonathan said the CWL has had ongoing discussions with those opposed to the centre with the purpose of mitigating the impact on the residents whose Lakeside Drive homes are opposite the centre’s proposed location. This has included modifying the landscaping plan to better mask the proposed building behind trees and bush.

The CWL has also amended its plans to accommodate a series of minor concerns raised by the QLDC’s contracted planner who reviewed the resource consent application prior to the hearing.

The commissioner also questioned the continuity of the reserve’s existing vegetation, including 70-year old conifers which concealed the building from some viewpoints. The CWL’s landscape expert Stephen Skelton said the reserve’s management plan indicated there will be a staged replacement plan where a mix of natives and conifers will replace the older trees over time.  

Jonathan said he believed the CWL’s case was presented clearly with sufficient compelling evidence in support to enable the commissioner to grant resource consent.

“We’ve done all we can. Now it’s up to the commissioner,” he said. “We can only hope the outcome is positive so we can get on with it.”

While the hearing at the Lake Wanaka Centre only ran one day before being adjourned, the commissioner has deferred his decision until mid October after he returns from a holiday. 

PHOTOS: Wanaka App