An AI-generated future Queenstown has skyscrapers and cargo ships
By reporter Debbie Jamieson:
An AI-generated future for Queenstown including skyscrapers and a container ship is dividing opinion in the tourist town.
According to the vision, the golf course at Kelvin Heights will be covered in development and linked by a bridge to Queenstown Gardens, which hosts a line of glass-covered buildings.
Spread out skyscrapers sit in the central business district and on the popular lake front, while Shotover St has become an eight-lane highway.
Local André Chalmers took the photo of Queenstown and created the image with Photoshop Generative AI Fill to see what the town would look like with increased building heights.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council is consulting on plans to allow higher density development in the district, as directed under central Government’s National Policy Statement.
Queenstown, Frankton, Arrowtown, Wānaka and Lake Hāwea all face potential changes with buildings in the Queenstown town centre potentially reaching heights of 24m – or up to seven storeys.
They are currently restricted to 15.5m.
Of course, the skyscrapers in Chalmers’ image are much taller than 24m, but then the possibility of getting container ships and an oil tanker into Lake Wakatipu is also absurd – let alone considering where they might be going.
One commentator has suggested the ships could provide workers' accommodation.
Other social media followers have referred to the image as The Rio of the South, Queenscity, and Queenscoast.
Some have expressed concern that the image was an over-exaggeration and being used to spread misinformation and confusion.
Others are concerned there’s no snow on the Remarkables, no queue at Fergburger and no more car parking spots.
Plans to increase urban areas around the district have caused concern in communities such as Arrowtown, where a public meeting was held last month to understand the proposals.
High density residential areas could increase to 16.5m in Queenstown and 12m in Wānaka (from 10m) with medium density across much of the district to increase to 11m and low density increasing 1m to 8m.
The removal of setbacks in some zones will allow for more buildings and residential units to be constructed within a site than at present.
Minimum lot sizes in new developments are smaller and there is a reduction in car parking for developments close to public transport.
In its analysis of the proposal Todd and Walker Law said more development upwards and outwards would be permitted.
“We expect that new buildings constructed to the maximum height limits will disrupt existing views and amenity values for some landowners.
“The increase in townhouse and apartment complexes may also change the nature of existing suburbs.”
Submissions on the Proposed Urban Intensification Variation should be made by October 5.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag
On the range
Venetian plaster finishes are on-trend at the moment, so why not recreate this look at home and cover that unsightly rangehood at the same time? Find out how to create your own with Resene Sandtex and these easy step by step instructions.
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