A new application has been lodged to generate small business opportunities in Luggate’s commercial precinct.

Packhorse Holdings Ltd filed a resource consent application with Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) last month to establish a small business hub on vacant land opposite the Luggate Hotel on State Highway 6.

Land owner and developer Stuart Pinfold intends to create The Green, a “business garden”, comprising a number of food and business stalls on two adjacent titles.

The application requests up to seven relocatable buildings and a shipping container for storage on one lot, sharing a landscaped outdoor area with seating on the second lot.

“It is intended that this will become a food stall and small business greenspace rather than a traditional food truck environment,” his application said.

The overall intent is to add vibrancy to the otherwise vacant roadside properties.

“I’m reasonably confident that a collection of small businesses will help invigorate this area of the village, and I hope the Luggate locals will get behind those businesses.”

Up to seven relocatable cabins are proposed for The Green. PHOTO: Supplied

Stuart deliberately chose up to seven relocatable cabins as a starting point; it won’t overintensify the site yet will allow flexibility for more permanent buildings in the future, he said.

He has already lined up “one of Wānaka’s top baristas” to begin with a coffee shop but he also envisages a complementary food stall, perhaps a barber, florist or accountant.

“The Green will have food offerings but I’m hoping it can be a bit more than that…the options are somewhat endless.”

In addition to adding vibrancy, the aim “is to give the people of Luggate, cyclists or any others who pass through a reason to actually slow down, stop and engage with Luggate,” he said.

“It’s a starting point, and as Luggate grows in time, the site will respond. I’d imagine that this will be in operation for the next seven years or so, quite possibly longer.”

Carparking for up to 12 vehicles, and fenced off from SH6 for safety, is also proposed.

Stuart said he initially considered a small supermarket for his site, but the “Luggate catchment is not quite there yet”. 

“By going down this route I am testing the water, enabling small enterprises to have an affordable platform to offer the services, before committing significant outlay towards a more substantial commercial establishment,” he said.

The proposal still awaits a green light from the New Zealand Transport Agency and QLDC but he hopes to get both “shortly”, Stuart said.

Under the Proposed District Plan, Packhorse Holdings' two titles at 55 and 59 Main Road, Luggate are zoned Settlement Zone (Commercial Precinct).

The company purchased the land in 2021 and 2023, Stuart said. Prior to that it sat vacant although a shop/diner operated there about 25 years ago before it was consumed by fire and ceased trading.

Stuart Pinfold’s proposed development is not the only new commercial offering suggested for Luggate. 

Lake MacKay residential subdivision developer and owner of the former Upper Clutha Transport yard Murray Frost is considering options to create a retail hub centred around Luggate’s historic Flour Mill, beside SH6.

Read more: Luggate retail precinct plans progress