The Department of Conservation has appealed a consented 29-lot subdivision at Bendigo by TKO Properties.

The company was granted consent by independent commissioners in August to develop an ‘Outstanding Natural Landscape’ at Rocky Point into residential housing and travellers accommodation.

But DOC has appealed the development because of the impact on ecological values. One of the conditions of the consent is to maintain a lot for ecological and landscape purposes.

The current environment is predominantly undeveloped vegetation covered hillside, and the District Plan anticipates a ‘reasonably highly modified rural environment’ for the Rural Resource zoned area,

with provisions for residential development.

DOC maintains the location is ecologically significant as it supports an unusually high number of ‘Threatened’ and ‘At Risk’ plant species. 

Experts agree even though this site has not been formally mapped or recognised as a Significant Natural Area (SNA), it would nevertheless meet the criteria for one.

The main concern is the further loss, including through fragmentation, of threatened dry land habitat and indigenous species only found in these types of environments, such as raoulia australis

cushionfield, and a range of spring annual species.

The Central Otago District Council’s planning consultant initially recommended that the development be declined, but later agreed the amended application had sufficient ecological controls, and that

was supported by commissioner Gary Rae in his decision.

The company has to supply areas at several locations for maintaining cushionfield habitats, as well as walking tracks and interpretive material for use by the general public.

“Overall, we consider the amended proposal is an appropriate response to the landscape and character effects and those effects will be no more than minor. The key theme to come through all the

expert evidence was that whilst partly in an ONL a large part of the site is also within a Development Area, and the Development Area need not be treated as fine grained,” the panel’s decision said.

The panel was satisfied with a bespoke approach to designing development with appropriate controls across the wider site - but TKO Properties and DOC are still in mediation.

TKO director Tim O’Sullivan, said the Bendigo face had been developed with viticulture and horticulture over the years, and a 17ha parcel of land was designed for housing, “that we can’t build on.”

His understanding is that he’s being asked by ecologists to maintain a rabbit population “to support a weed,” and will find out more in the next few weeks about what is expected.

But he said if he had to continue and fight it in the Environment Court, it wouldn’t be worth his while.

Tim said he might be better off to plant out 23ha in grapes instead. The Environment Court process could take 12-18 months.