Council says no to Ohakune motel

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 255, 20 September 1988, Page 1

Council says no to Ohakune motel

An application to build a motel complex on the comer of Ti Kouka Place and Goldfinch Street has been declined by the district council. The basis for declining the application was the lack of sufficient evidence presented by the applicant, The Bavarian Lodge Trust. The proposed development was for 17 motel units, one facility unit and a manager's house to be built on five adjoining residential sections in Ti Kouka Place, Ohakune. The decision to tum down the application was made in-committee by the council. The decision to go into committee, which was not unanimous, was on the; grounds that the mattcr could later be subject to appcal to a highcr court.

Objections were received by the council from 11 different groups. The objections were on the grounds that: the buildings would exceed the maximum height and thus disrupt the objectors' views; traffic problems; noise problems; that the proposed motel would exceed the maximum person density by 55 per cent; the scale of the development was not in keeping with the residential nature of the area; over development of small residential allotments; vehicular access to the site was poorly considered; loss of value of objectors' neighbouririg chalets; disturbance to bird life and tranquillity of a quiet residential area; on-street parking would increase; no break in the roof line of the units despite them being separated; no provision for landscaping; disharmony with neighbouring area; traffic hazard; bulk and location of buildings; existing tourist development zones have not been fully utilizcd; the Goldfinch Street frontage is inadcquatc to justify treating

the site as within conditional use authorisation. In the early stages of the hearing one objector became concerned that the application was not going to be treated as a new proposal. Mr Price said it would be outrageous not to consider the proposal as a new application. This was after there was a short discussion on an earlier application for a development proposal on the site. The applicants were granted permission to build a motel on ihe site in Junc 1987, after objectors appcaled and earlier decision to allow ihe land use. Thc applicants were asked at the time to submit reviscd plans to satisfy the appcllants' objections. Such plans were submittcd and approvcd but no action was taken to go ahead with that scheme. This latest proposal differs to the earlier one to such an cxtent that a new application was neccssary.