An unconsented travellers' accommodation business in Cromwell that was served an abatement notice in June by the Central Otago District Council, now has 11 objections to its new application.

Jun Hou and Lihua Zhang will face a hearing with an independent commissioner on November 21 in Cromwell, to determine whether they can continue the business, but consultant planner Oli Monthule-McIntosh has recommended the non-complying activity be declined.

On April 24 the Central Otago District Council (CODC) received a complaint about the units at 43 Shortcut Rd being used for travellers’ accommodation without the necessary consent in place to do so. 

The matter was investigated by council’s monitoring and enforcement officers and a notice letter was sent to the operators, requesting that the travellers' accommodation activity cease and all accommodation listings for the activity be taken down by May 25.  

The listings were not removed by the date directed and an abatement notice was subsequently issued.   

The planner involved in the hearing, speaking on behalf of the client, told The Central App when contacted, that Jun Hou considered current activities on site permitted.  

“A resource consent process for the travellers' accommodation is underway to address that specific matter.”

In March 2018 they received land use consent on a non-notified basis to establish a 19-unit multi residential development on the corner of Shortcut Rd and State Highway 6. 

The consent was for five two-storied four bedroom apartments and one two-storied three bedroom apartments as manager’s accommodation, as well as 13 single-storied one bedroom apartments.

Code of compliance for stage one was issued in September 2021, but a report to the hearing’s panel says that stage two and three haven’t been signed off yet.

In 2022 consent was granted for a revised 22 unit multi-unit development, effectively changing the four bedroom units to two bedrooms.

The property now contains nine completed residential units that have been subdivided by unit title. Those units comprise stage one of a three-stage multi-unit development.

The couple propose to use eight of the units for travellers' accommodation, but face 11 objectors who say they’ve already experienced adverse effects of ‘anti-social’ noise and vehicles from the unconsented activity.

Oli said, in his planners report to the hearings panel, that in his opinion the proposal is likely to have significant adverse effect on neighbourhood character, amenity and social cohesion, and that the proposal is inappropriate for the subject site. 

“The conversion of residential units into short-term travellers' accommodation results in a loss of that housing stock for the purpose of housing residents and workers. This loss exacerbates existing pressures on both the rental and purchase markets, particularly in areas like Cromwell where there is already a documented housing shortage.  

“The impact is especially pronounced on the rental housing market, which is already in critically low supply in Central Otago. This scarcity disproportionately affects young people and lower-income workers, who are often more reliant on rental options.”