Owners of a cherry orchard and large rural residential development in Cromwell, Shannon Farm, want to develop their 160-lot lifestyle subdivision further.

A hearing on October 14 at Central Otago District Council will consider NZ Cherry Corp’s application for a further nine lots and land use consent on its Ripponvale Road location.

Wānaka-based Infinity Developments is also a 50 percent partner - as half owner of Cherry Corp.

The company was successful in the Environment Court in 2022, winning an appeal to rezone 142ha of land under a privately-initiated Plan Change 14, for its rural lifestyle development within a masterplanned site.

The approved framework introduced a structure plan identifying six Rural Lifestyle Areas (RLAs) with varying density controls, along with an integrated circulation plan and planting schedule. 

Under Plan Change (PC) 14, the 160 residential allotments were spread across the RLAs, subject to compliance with specified density, landscape, and servicing provisions.

The structure and zoning framework concentrated lifestyle allotments within lower-lying and less visually sensitive parts of the site, while maintaining productive orchard areas and protecting the more prominent upper slopes, including those within the Outstanding Natural Landscape (ONL), from built development. 

Central Otago District Council declined the consent in 2021, and after the appeal was won, the company agreed to hold two ‘parent’ lots for future development - since they were subject to geotechnical constraints.

These two lots are being considered for further subdivision under the current consent application.

Consultant planner Oli Monthule-McIntosh has recommended the new consent be granted, but noted that any proposal to exceed 160 lots across the site was likely to require significant roading upgrades.

The proposed lots complied with the minimum lot size of 1,500sqm and only marginally falls short of the average lot size requirement of 2,000sqm.

“The subdivision advances the intended development pattern for the site and can be appropriately integrated with the existing consented stages,” his report said.

Variations to the original consent were approved in September and December 2024, for realignment of staging boundaries, and an additional six lots within the rural productive lifestyle area.

A separate consent for a mountain bike trail network through the development within the ONL to the west of the subdivision was also granted in September 2023.

Have a story to share or comment to make? Contact [email protected]