Ladies Mile Masterplan

 The Masterplan will cover approximately 160 Ha. Located at a key point in the road, trail and river networks, it is largely flat, sunny and hazard free, it is close to the major employment area of Frankton and adjoins Queenstown’s largest residential area of Lake Hayes Estate, Shotover Country and the Queenstown Country Club.  

The area marked in blue below is the key focus area, however there is a much wider area of influence that must be considered to ensure the Masterplan and Plan Variation delivers the best outcomes for the community.   

Ladies Mile is a very attractive location for urban development but there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed and considered through the Masterplan and Plan Variation process:

•  It is an area of significant interest to many locals and considered by some to be the ‘rural gateway’ to Queenstown, demarking the rural and urban areas of the Wakatipu Basin.

• Setting development back from SH6 has been a key consideration shaping development of this area to date.

• There are capacity issues along the State Highway corridor that runs through Ladies Mile, in particular the Shotover Bridge and the Hawthorne Drive and Shotover Roundabouts.

• Residents currently living in the area also have concerns over parking, lack of community facilities in the area.

• There are also concerns around community severance resulting in a lack of cohesion between the three housing developments requiring residents to carry out multiple external trips to carry out everyday tasks.

This area has seen significant change and debate over its future since the 1990s.  This timeline shows some of the key decisions that have led us to this point.   

• Make the most of the opportunity to deliver highly efficient land use. This will include medium - medium/high density urban development.

• Plan a high quality street network that promotes walking and cycling as the preferred way of getting around  locally and a range of transport options for getting to Frankton and further afield.   

• Provide a framework through the masterplan process to inform decisions on a large range of potential land uses at Ladies Mile including housing, a mixed use local service centre, recreation and sports grounds, primary and secondary schools and a transport facilities. 

• Promote a strong sense of ‘place’ and ‘identity’, taking inspiration from the landscape. This should also include high levels of liveability through quality urban design.

• Celebrate the areas pioneer and Maori history in public spaces and with distinctive built form.

• Promote sustainable living, for example    better outcomes for water quality and ecological systems, use of green technology, more transport choices that prioritise walking, cycling and public transport.

The objectives of the project are :

• A land use solution is delivered in a timely, integrated and organised manner, avoiding individual applications

•  Increased liveability, well-being and community cohesion for existing and future residents of the Ladies Mile area

• Improved access to and from Ladies Mile with a transport network that can deliver its functions efficiently and effectively

• Supporting enhanced public transport and walking and cycling options through land use solutions

This is the listening phase.  It's  where the project team will gather information, talk with stakeholders and get a full understanding  of the opportunities and constraints of the site.

Having a thorough understanding of the history of the area and related workstreams and business cases will ensure that the key issues are already well-understood, and do not need to be re-canvassed.

This involves exploring and testing spatial design options, developing design principles and engaging closely with stakeholders and the community.  

At this point the project team will work through all feedback, refine the options into a Masterplan  and prepare the associated District Plan variation documents.     

Community engagement will form an important part of developing the plan.  Here's what to expect: