Planner says no to Shania's latest design

Shania Twain

Amended plans to make Canadian superstar singer Shania Twain's proposed house in Central Otago harder to see have failed to sway a local planner.

Andrew Henderson, planner for CivicCorp, the regulatory agent for Queenstown Lakes District Council, has stuck to his guns and recommended to independent commissioner Trevor Shiels the development should be declined.

The house on the singer's Motatapu Station would be too prominent and have more than minor environmental effects, Mr Henderson said.
Last month he said the original plans were "not in harmony with the landscape".

The main issues at the hearing were visibility from public sites and landscape classification.

Mr Shiels has reserved his decision, but given the parties two more days to present submissions.

While advisers say Motatapu Rd is the only public site from which the house can be seen, Upper Clutha Environmental Society disagrees.

The proposed changes should mean just 2.9m of the approximately 7m high house would be visible, but would need 6000 cu m of earthworks instead of just under 4000 cu m as originally planned.

Lawyer Michael Parker said farming and conservation work undertaken by Twain and her husband showed an ethic of stewardship and sustainable production. A house would be expected in a rural farming environment.

However, society president Julian Haworth backed Mr Henderson's assessment. Man-made mounds were not appropriate, he said.

Mr Haworth said it was hard to assess potential future effects because more public areas might be created from which the house would be visible.

- NZPA