Central Otago will soon have another ‘farm park,’ after the Clutha Plains Trust was granted consent to develop its 133ha land at Tarras into 16 lots for residential use.

The Trevathan family has owned the land at Maori Point Road since 1914, after it was subdivided off the larger Morven Station. The land is currently used for grazing cattle.

Farm parks are becoming popular across the district, including Wānaka’s Hillend Station, Bendemeer Estate at Lake Hayes, and another in Tarras at Jolly Road.

A ‘farm park’ development enables residents to live amongst an operational farm, and initially Central Otago District Council (CODC) planner Kirstyn Royce recommended the Trevathans’ application be declined.

Under the CODC District Plan a subdivision needs to have an average size of no fewer than eight hectares (ha) and a minimum lot size of no fewer than 2ha within the Rural Resource Area.

Each lot in the current development would be only 2,000sqm - making it non-complying, but out of 18 submissions received only five were in opposition.

Those against the developments raised concerns regarding the adverse effects of the proposal on the rural landscape. They considered the configuration of the subdivision meant the strip of houses would be clearly visible from the Clutha River/Mata Au, parts of Bowman Road and the submitters’ property.

Prior to the hearing in April, the applicant modified the application and introduced building platforms for Lots 1-16.

A new rural residential subdivision at Tarras has been approved by Central Otago District Council.

Numerous revisions were also made to the scheme plan to feature two distinct clusters of development, rather than a continuous or semi-continuous row as originally proposed. 

It was made up of a northern cluster situated along the northern boundary of the terrace/property and a southern cluster comprising six lots near the terrace edge (with generous setbacks), and four additional lots located further inland.

In a decision released on July 15 the hearings panel said, while the lots of the subdivision fell well below the minimum size envisioned by the District Plan (being 2000m2 instead of 2ha), the ownership of Lot 100 split evenly between Lots 1-16 meant an underlying average of 7.8ha was achieved.

“The farm park style configuration will largely maintain the integrity of the productive capacity of the land and the proposal is an appropriate response to avoiding land fragmentation.

“While a somewhat unorthodox approach within Central Otago, the proposed farm park style subdivision only marginally exceeds the anticipated residential carrying capacity of the land in terms of residential development and provides for cohesive productive management of the balance lot.”

The panel noted that the shared ownership model with the larger farm (through a body corporate type arrangement, managed by Jonny Trevathan), along with the volunteered conditions of consent, will adequately manage reverse sensitivity effects.

The Trevathans will manage and maintain the productive Lot 100, the mitigation landscaping within Lot 100, the centralised wastewater and water systems and the access network within the site, “which places the infrastructure responsibility clearly with the owners of the site”, the panel said.

PHOTOS: Supplied