'Essentially a new town' - concerns over Coronet gondola village plans

While a gondola up Coronet Peak has stolen the headlines, a group of locals is rallying to voice their concerns about the development alongside it they worry will forever change a rural landscape on Queenstown's outskirts.

The Malaghans Valley Protection Society has been set up in response to a project being called 'Coronet Village', the instigators of which have applied for their project to be included in the government's fast track consenting legislation.

The pitch to government is a "new alpine village immediately below Coronet Peak", with a 2.4 kilometre gondola providing greener 'park and ride' access to the ski field, up to 780 houses, a mountain biking hub, and two schools run by the Liger Leadership Academy.

The Malaghans Valley Protection Society thinks Coronet Village appears more like 'a new town' (Image: Supplied).

But the chair of the new society, James Hall, thinks what is being proposed is "essentially a new town" and a streamlined consenting process is not the way for it to be considered.

"This sort of proposal needs a full consultation with the whole community," Mr Hall says.

"We only happened to find out about this proposed development the evening before the media coverage about the gondola.

“To have something like this slip under the radar and get approved for fast-track development would be damaging to the environment and character of the area and the long-term vision for growth for our district."

However Xero founder and Coronet Village backer Rod Drury says open, transparent communication is a priority for those behind the project, and he has already met with members of the new Malaghans Valley Protection Society in recent days to tell them so.

"From what the group told us over the weekend, their fear is that we'll get some blanket approval and then anything can happen, but that's not how I see the process - I think it's the start of the conversation."

But he says he understands people's concerns about the unknowns, stressing that he and his team are still in the dark on many aspects of the process ahead too.

"Everyone's kind of unsure about how the fast track process works.

"The feedback we've had is that people are very nervous about any large scale development going on there, which totally makes sense. We get that."

Mr Drury says he expects to hear back from Wellington on the status of the project in the coming weeks, and has committed to holding another public meeting alongside other stakeholders after that.

Early versions of the fast track approvals bill have allowed up to just 10 days for invited parties to submit on projects, and Mr Hall thinks that provides "no meaningful opportunities" for affected parties to be involved in the decision-making.

"We are trying to voice our concerns now and get ahead of the publicly excluded process,” he says.

Close to the top of the list, "non-existent" sewerage infrastructure to support the level of development proposed and potential negative impacts on the "beleaguered Lake Hayes" from sediment run off.

Julia Coleman, the secretary of the Malaghans Valley Protection Society, says nearby sediment traps, one bordering the proposed Coronet Village development, are already capturing "massive volumes of additional sediment" upstream of Lake Hayes.

"The Lake Hayes ecosystem is fragile and already under strain from other developments in the catchment area,” she says.

But Mr Drury says these issues are front of mind too for the project's supporters, who include NZSki, Te Tapu o Tāne, Tahuna Riding and Conservation, and Liger Leadership Academy.

"We all live here as well, and it's really important, from our values, that all the environmental stuff's taken care of."

He says some of the supporters' earlier works - such as reforesting Coronet Peak with natives - are evidence of this.

According to the companies registry, Queenstown planner Ben Farrell is the sole director and shareholder of Coronet Village Limited.

While the ultimate 'yes' or 'no' for any project was first flagged to sit with government ministers, the new legislation is now expected to have final decisions resting with an expert panel, as was the case with the Covid-19 fast tracking legislation, who will have expertise in environmental matters.

The Malaghans Valley Protection Society has created a website.

Main image (Supplied): Coronet Village's gondola base as illustrated in an application to central government for consideration in a fast track approvals bill.