Latest application for New Chum Beach subdivision now withdrawn

The latest application for a subdivision at New Chum Beach (Wainuiototo Bay) has now been withdrawn.

The application, made by Ross and Deidre Mear, was for a four-lot subdivision, all 15 hectares in size along with a 15m wide esplanade strip allowing for public access along the beach. Mr and Mrs Mear own a 50% share in the property with another separate family trust owning the other half.

"With regret, the applicants are obliged to withdraw the application," Ian Cowper, lawyer for the applicants, said in a letter to our Council this week. "On behalf of the applicants we apologise for the inconvenience caused to the Council, its commissioners and submitters."

The application received high public interest across New Zealand and internationally with a total of 187 submissions received and over 80 submitters requesting to be heard.

Hearings had been set down for Monday 4 May but our Council was notified by the applicant's lawyers that there was a last-minute disagreement from one of the co-owners of the site relating to access arrangements to the beach and requested that the application be suspended.

At that May 4 meeting, the Independent Commissioners decided to suspend the hearings and give the applicants up to two months to resolve the situation.

The applicants

This latest application for development at New Chum was made by Ross and Deidre Mear and is for the exact same piece of land on which a previous application was lodged in January 2014 by Coastal Land Trust Holdings.

The application by Coastal Land Trust Holdings - which is a separate identity - is currently on hold due to further information being sought from the applicant. Coastal Land Trust Holdings' application is for New Chum (Te Pungapunga Station) and includes more farmland. This application can be viewed here

Coastal Land Trust holdings is aware of the New Chum (Wainuiototo Bay) application.

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