Cromwell's rapid growth continues as 543 homes given green light

A private plan change has been signed off that could see hundreds more households moving to Cromwell.

The Central Otago District Council has approved a district plan change that will allow for a local quarry to be turned into a residential development with as many as 543 new homes.

At a full meeting on Wednesday, the mayor and councillors accepted the recommendation of an independent hearings panel to allow Plan Change 21, requested by Fulton Hogan Limited.

An early draft of Fulton Hogan's plans for its Parkburn Quarry near Pisa Moorings (Image: CODC).

The plan change rezones 118 hectares of lakeside land on Cromwell's outskirts for use for residential, industrial and commercial purposes.

The site adjoins the neighbourhood of Pisa Moorings and is home to the Parkburn Quarry.

Fulton Hogan is planning for a future use for the land post quarrying activities. 

During the plan change process, the New Zealand Transport Agency submitted against the proposal, citing concerns about the lack of public and active transport networks to connect the proposed outlier urban development to town, necessitating a reliance on private vehicle use.

However, then National Party transport spokesperson now transport minister Simeon Brown took issue with the agency's stance.

He was of the view the agency should be focused on improving connectivity in the regions rather than opposing what he called "crucial" residential developments.

Development of the area was also not flagged in the Cromwell spatial plan approved by the council in June 2019 with an aim of providing a coordinated approach to managing growth in the town until 2050.

At Wednesday's council meeting, council planning and infrastructure group manager Louise van der Voort, in response to a question from councillor Nigel McKinlay, said the spatial plan did not constitute a statutory document.

She said, as such, it did not "carry a lot of weight" in the private plan change process, and the recommending panel had no obligation to take it into consideration during its deliberations.

A hearing on the plan change was held in Cromwell in February, where independent commissioners Gary Rae and Rosalind Day-Cleavin heard evidence alongside councillor Ian Cooney.

From dusty Fulton Hogan quarry to waterfront precinct (Image: QLDC).

Councillor Cooney told the meeting Fulton Hogan has indicated the development will be staged, with the intention to move from south to north.

He noted existing residents in the area stand to gain from Fulton Hogan's flagged commercial development at the Parkburn site.

"There's not even a dairy at Pisa Moorings at the moment," he said.

The decision at the meeting was "largely a procedural one", meeting chair deputy mayor Neil Gillespie said.

All costs associated with the processing of the private plan change will be met by Fulton Hogan.

Main image: The future of the Parkburn Quarry can now include residential development after a private plan change requested by Fulton Hogan Limited was approved by the Central Otago District Council on Wednesday, September 26, 2024.