What do people value about our district’s distinctive landscapes, and what benefit do they get from them?

These questions are being asked by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) about a range of priority landscapes, to help draft landscape schedules for the Queenstown Lakes District Plan.

A landscape schedule describes the values and elements of an area that people care about. They are used to assess resource consent applications and determine what development can be accommodated in the area without compromising these values and elements.

The Hawea River flowing into the Clutha River.

The priority areas are 11 outstanding natural features (ONFs), 13 outstanding natural landscapes (ONLs), and five rural character landscapes (RCLs) in the district.

These include Mt Barker and Mt Iron (ONFs); Cardrona Valley, Mount Alpha, Roys Bay, West Wānaka, Dublin Bay, Hāwea South and North Grandview, and Lake McKay Station and environs (ONLs).

Mount Iron

The RCLs are Cardrona River/Mt Barker Road, Halliday Road/Corbridge, West of Hāwea River, Church Road/Shortcut Road, and the Maungawera Valley. The council will also look at the entire Upper Clutha rural character landscape.

QLDC planning and development general manager Tony Avery encouraged people to consider these specific areas and share what it is about these locations that matters most.

The Maungawera Valley.

“We want to know what our district’s distinctive landscapes mean to you, and what you value about our lakes, rivers, alpine, high country and rural character areas,” he said.

“These values could include how an area looks, the quality and quantity of its vegetation and wildlife, your own experience of being in the landscape, the impact it has on your sense of wellbeing, its historic or cultural significance, what it tells us about how it was created, and the recreational benefits we get from it.”

Council is drafting one schedule of landscape values for each of the 29 identified areas plus the entire Upper Clutha rural character landscape following direction from the Environment Court.

Following this feedback process the landscape schedules will be completed and formally notified as a District Plan Change later in the year.

Find more information about the priority areas identified in QLDC’s landscape schedules and share your feedback here. Prior registration as a Let’s Talk user is required.

Tony encouraged anyone with questions about the project to contact a QLDC duty planner during office hours (03 443 0024 Wānaka) or by emailing [email protected].

“By sharing your feedback you can help us capture what’s important to the community and include it in our toolkit for assessing development proposals,” he said.

Feedback closes at 5.00pm on Sunday April 3, 2022.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App