Methven resort expansion plans head to Environment Court

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Methven Resort's expansion plans are headed to the Environment Court after a neighbour appealed a decision to grant it consent.

The resort in the Canterbury town had been given the green light on December 22 to build two accommodation wings with 36 units and 40 units, extend the restaurant/bar area, and add a new swimming pool and spa area.

Independent commissioner Darryl Millar granted the consent, but with a raft of conditions.

However, neighbour Mark Brownlie filed his appeal on January 30.

During the hearing last year, Brownlie described the proposed expansion as a “brutal privacy intrusion”.

He said he was not opposed to developing the site, but was against the proposed plan, which would deny him “privacy and outlook”, with the effects “much more than minor”.

Brownlie purchased his section in 2022, under the impression no further development would take place.

That was due to a 2007 council decision to deny an application to expand.

That application was denied because it was determined the resort's initial 1982 consent had been exhausted.

Methven Resort was originally built as Centrepoint Ski Lodge following the 1982 resource consent, but was not developed to the full extent provided for in the consent.

The consent “is enduring and unlimited in time”, Miller determined. There was also no condition that the original 1982 design had to be adhered to.

Brownlie is appealing the latest decision to green-light expansion plans on the grounds that it is a non-complying activity and the proposed height of the west wing exceeds 8m height limitations in the district plan.

He also questioned the validity of applying the original 1982 consent to allow the expansion. He argued the new expansion plans differed from the design that was approved under that consent.

As for the proposal being a non-complying activity, Millar determined that any adverse effects would be acceptable.

In his decision to grant the consent, Millar stated the proposal would achieve the "purpose and principles of the RMA (Resource Management Act)".

Brownlie disagreed with the decision and it will now fall to the Environment Court to determine.

The Environment Court’s practice is often to send the parties into mediation, rather than proceeding directly to court.

The process can take months.

The consent had been processed under limited notification but now it has been appealed to the Environment Court. Under the RMA, other people who have “an interest in the proceedings that is greater than the interest that the general public has” can join proceedings.