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A proposed luxury hotel near Damper Bay in Wanaka owned by American businessman Peter Thiel.
photo: Image source: Provided
Billionaires’ battle Peter Thiel Plans to build a 330-metre luxury lodge on the shores of Lake Wanaka are not over yet, the Upper Clutha Environment Association secretary says.
Julian Harworth told RNZ that neither Thiel nor his company Second Star had withdrawn their application. night.
“this article In my opinion, the mainstream media reports are pure speculation, and the fact that Peter Thiel’s company Second Star did not appeal the Environment Court’s decision does not mean that they have given up on developing the site.
“There has been no statement from Mr. Thiel himself or his legal team that they have given up trying to develop the site.”
Teal planned to build this huge hotel on the shore of Lake Wanaka, 7 kilometers from the town.
The proposed development first went to council, which rejected the plans, which Teal appealed, and the case was ultimately decided by the Environment Court, Haworth said.
After three days of deliberation, the court rejected that request as well.
Haworth said the development was not commensurate with the environment.
“If we set a precedent by allowing buildings up to 330 metres long to be built into the landscape, how long do you think our outstanding natural landscape will last?”
Artists’ renderings of a building’s exterior often mask inconvenient elements, he said.
“They never built all the access roads and the vehicles and all the clutter around the development that doesn’t fit in with the beauty. It’s not nearly as integrated into the landscape as it looks in the pictures, and that’s what the court ruled.”
He said the building was designed by the same man who designed Tokyo Airport.
“Designing an airport in Tokyo is very different to trying to integrate architecture into New Zealand’s beautiful natural landscape, and if we continue to allow such buildings to be built then New Zealand’s beautiful natural landscape cannot be preserved for long.”
Haworth said the application promoted the economic benefits the hotel would bring to the area.
“We have to believe that Mr. Thiel would build a very fancy hotel that would charge $2,000 a night, or something like that. But of course, it could just be a refuge for him and his family and friends, we don’t know, and once it’s agreed to, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
There are other places more suitable for such development, he said.
“Why destroy outstanding natural landscapes with these huge buildings? There is another less precious landscape, the rural character of the Queensland Lakes region, where a hotel would be more appropriate, with less negative impacts and still deliver most of the economic benefits.”
He said Teal already has approval for a more modest development project on the site.
“The society is very happy with it and we think it complements the surrounding landscape in terms of appearance and scale. The building he is proposing is about 15 times wider and spans the entire landscape.”
“That’s the problem, the adverse impacts are increasing rapidly, you can see it from the lake, you can see it from the walking trails, we have beautiful walking trails.
“I mean, the Te Araroa Track, which runs the length of New Zealand, runs right past this hut.”
He believes the story is not over yet.
“I think Second Star will file another application in a few months that will be smaller and more appropriate for the situation, and they will go through the process again. When you have $10 billion, you can do that.”
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