Objection By Residents To Gypsum Plant

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29350, 1 November 1960, Page 19

Objection By Residents To Gypsum Plant

People living near the site of a proposed gypsum plant between the Christchurch-Lyttelton railway line and Opawa road were objecting to the setting up of the factory there, the Heathcote County Council was told at its meeting last evening. The council was discussing a letter from the Christchurch City Council advising that an application had been made by Victor Plasters, Ltd-, to operate the plant on the site. Equipment at the plant would be of modern design and filters and collectors would keep any dust within the process building. Department of Health approval for the plant had been give after reports from its chief chemical inspector had been considered, the letter said. Any objections by the council may depend on whether the proposed factory can be considered adjacent to a residential area in the county. Cr. C. D. Le Comte said a wallboard factory had been already built on the site and the firm wanted to go into production in January. A second factory, not yet built, would process the gypsum for plaster to be used in the wallboard. It was this factory that people nearby were objecting to. He said it did seem that the South Island was crying out for industries, but when it got them

there .was usually some stiff opposition. However, the factory would have houses on three sides and this did not seem to be good zoning, he said. The factory had said there would be strict control of any dust. “They import this stuff and don’t want it blowing all around the countryside,” he said. Residents’ Views Mr W. E. McGavick, chairman of the Hillcote Improvement Society, was invited by the chairman (Mr R. A. Young) to give the views of his organisationThe residents were definitely opposed to the factory being established. Mr McGavick said. There was plenty of land around Christchurch for such a factory to be built other than a site with houses on three sides. “We gathered the information that this type of factory was not suitable for the area. “Gypsum has a depressing effect on Vegetation for quite a way around, but only people living nearby could object.” People living in the Christchurch City Council area nearby were objecting “to a man” and had held two meetings about it recently. He said it would not be people’s health that suffered so much as vegetation and roof iron from corrosive action. To councillors’ suggestions that the factory’s gypsum might be stored inside, Mr McGavick said: “I can’t see them storing 5000 tons of gypsum indoors.” The county clerk (Mr R. W. Morris) said the council had been given a legal opinion on the word adjacent in relation to the siting of the factory. This had defined adjacent as “touching” and the residential zone was five chains inside the county, he said. The council decided to defer action for two weeks and in the rr-antime to get independent expert opinon on any likely noxious effect from the factory’s operations. The Hillcote Improvement Society was also invited to get a second legal opinion on the word adjacent and submit it to the council in two weeks.