Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is one step closer to delivering long-awaited water infrastructure for new and existing properties in Kingston.

A resource consent application by Kingston Village Limited was approved on 21 July 2020 for Stage 1 of the development, allowing the development of 217 sections. Future stages of the development will result in up to 750 sections (in total).

QLDC Chief Engineer Ulrich Glasner said approval of the resource consent will allow for the delivery of much needed water, sewerage and stormwater infrastructure for Kingston and he was pleased to hear that recent safety concerns raised by the community would be addressed.

”Kingston has changed rapidly over the past decade, moving from a quiet community of mainly holiday homes to a largely permanent community commuting in to Queenstown for work. Long term development was signalled in Kingston when the area of land was rezoned back in 2009 so seeing this development finally come into fruition is important progress for the area and timely given the governments review of regulation and supply of three waters infrastructure,” Mr Glasner said.

“I was very pleased to hear the news that Kingston Village Limited has confirmed it has very recently secured the ability to provide the primary access to constructing Stage 1 of the development from Stage Highway 6, south of Kingston township,” he said.

Kingston Village Limited director Craig Goodman confirmed the change, saying “We are very pleased to have been able to secure this construction access from the State Highway to assist in alleviating concerns of the local community.”

“We believe Kingston has the potential to grow into a vibrant lakeside community with its own distinct character while still benefitting from the connectivity to nearby Queenstown,” Mr Goodman said.

Mr Glasner said the next critical part of this process is further engagement with the Kingston Community.

“We are working with the Kingston Community Association to continue discussions about the project and the possible timing for connecting the existing residents to the new wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and fresh water supply. We are also intending to hold a public meeting in the coming weeks to discuss this with the wider community,” Mr Glasner said.

In April 2018, QLDC completed a detailed business case covering how the water infrastructure could be constructed in Kingston and submitted it to MBIE for approval through the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

“Given the well-known and significant growth and affordability challenges affecting the district, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to deliver more housing sooner by funding the critical supporting infrastructure,” he said.

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