Council says yes to ski lodge

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 405, 24 September 1991, Page 1

Council says yes to ski lodge

The Ohakune ski lodge which was the subject of an injunction stopping the owners from operating, has been granted planning permission to operate as a licensed boarding house. The ski lodge, which featured on the Television New Zealand Holmes Show, is a converted house about 70 years old situated at 50 Miro Street, Ohakune. A specified departure from the District Scheme was approved to allow the commercial use of the property, provided certain conditions were met. These are: • Parking be provided for six cars. • A maximum of 24 people, including staff, to stay at the lodge. • Noise regulations. • Ruapehu District Council and Fire Safety regulations be met before the building is occupied. • The frontage of the house to stay as it is to retain the character of its neighbourhood. • No signs to be put up on the street. During the discussion Regulatory Committee chairman Bill Penny reminded councillors that the publicity about the property should be ignored when considering the application. Cr Joe Murphy said the council had spent much time talking about Ruapehu promotion and this was a way to do something towards that. Cr Stuart Shaw was also in favour, so long as the conditions were met. Cr Bruce Thompson was opposed to the Turnpage4

Ski lodge From page 1 application. He said the applicants had bought the house knowing it was in the wrong zone for their purposes. He said there were better potential properties available elsewhere in the town. The committee decided the specified departure would not affect the integrity of the District Scheme. Two objections to the application were received, one from Winstone Pulp International, who own the property across the road, and one from a group that owns an adjacent block of land. Winstones objected because of the "degradation of a residential area to a pseudo-commercial operation" and to noise. The operation "when it was conducted illegally, resulted in excessive noise.." said the objectors. The committee said they felt the objections were countered by two submissions in support of the application. The committee heard that the original applicant, Warren Birkhead, had recently been declared bankrupt and had sold out of his partnership with Tony Boys, who operated Go Kiwi Tours, the users of the ski lodge. Mr Boys' lawyer said his client was planning to buy the house for the tour operation provided the application was approved. More work was planned for the house, and the venture would be good for Ohakune by bringing money into the town, they said. About $20,000 owed to local creditors would not be reclaimed if the house was not taken on by Mr Boys, said the lawyer, and there was a chance Mr Birkhead would take legal action.