Ele Ludemann: Whose view matters?

Friends were planning to build a new home on their high country station.

The consent process was long and expensive.

Among the objections raised was that the house would be seen from the near by lake.

The view of the objectors was that this would be objectionable, that people on the lake would not want to see a house.

No doubt some would agree with that view, but no doubt there would be others who glimpsing a house from a distance as they travelled up of down the lake, would not.

So whose view matters?

When it comes to consents it is almost always the ones who object who give their views and whose views trump those of supporters.

That is the case with the luxury lodge that Peter Thiel wants to build on his property which borders Lake Wanaka.

American billionaire Peter Thiel appears to have given up on his plan to build a lavish lodge overlooking Lake Wānaka.

Mr Thiel — a Lord of the Rings enthusiast — envisaged a long series of buildings set into a hillside with roofs covered with tussocks and shrubs.

Resource consent was declined by Queenstown Lakes District Council commissioners in 2022 and in May this year the Environment Court declined his appeal against that decision.

The company wanted to develop a four-building, grass-roofed complex, which would accommodate up to 30 guests, on a site overlooking Glendhu Bay about 7km from the Wānaka town centre.

Environment Court Judge Prudence Steven said in the decision although the lodge’s design was “attractive and responsive to its setting”, proposed tree planting would not adequately screen the buildings from several public viewpoints on the nearby public track. . .

You can judge whether the judge’s view that the design was attractive and responsive to its setting is correct or not from this ODT photo:



My view is the same as the judge’s view on the design but I don’t share her concern that the building wouldn’t be adequately screened from several public viewpoints on the nearby track.

I often walk that track and wouldn’t be at all upset if the view from it took in this building, rather the opposite, it would add interest to the walk.

Some lakes overseas have buildings all along their shores and I would join the objectors if anything that threatened to approach such intensive development was proposed.

That was never a risk for the home my friends wanted to build on their station nor for the lodge overlooking Lake Wanaka so why do the views of those who object to such discreet development matter more than those of the property owners and those of us who wouldn’t mind the very occasional and sensitively designed variation from the natural in our views?

It could be because those who object submit and those whose views are in support do not so the views of the naysayers are heard and heeded while the supporters stay silent and so the views against are taken to matter more than they ought to.

Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.