Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) held an Emergency Council Meeting today to consider the acquisition of a parcel of land at Wānaka Airport.

After due consideration Councillors voted not to proceed with the acquisition.

QLDC Chief Executive Mike Theelen said that under the land’s current terms of ownership Council has a right of first refusal on any sale of the land and must do so within a fixed timeframe.

“Council was advised immediately before the Christmas break that a potential sale had been agreed and to meet the timelines involved an emergency meeting of Council was convened today,” he said.

“While today’s decision means Council has elected not to exercise its right to acquire the lot at this time, Council’s right of first refusal remains and could be exercised if the land becomes available again in the future.”

From a statutory point of view, emergency council meetings differ from extraordinary meetings in terms of the length of time available in advance for public notification. Today’s meeting was a public excluded session due to the commercial sensitivity of the potential acquisition.

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