Govt may provide site for pulp mill

Press, 22 October 1980, Page 3

Govt may provide site for pulp mill

Parliamentary Reporter

If pulp-mill plans by C.S.R.-Baigents are frustrated. the Minister of Forests (Mr V. S. Young) is prepared to investigate the possibilities of a site in the Golden Downs State forest. However, Mr. Young said yesterday that this would be only as a last resort and that he was not a strong advocate of wood-processing industries in State forests mainly because they created forest towns.< '"-*!. A delegation * from the consortium visited Mr Young yesterday to “bring him up to date” with plans since the Waimea County Council refused - planning consent for the proposed pulp mill in Eves Valley earlier this month. The delegation included Mr J. Laurie, Head of the.'C.S.R. buildingmaterials division, Australia; Mr B. W. Wall, managing director of Baigents; and Mr K. H. Stacey, the! project leader. : ■ Mr Young has approved m principle the purchase by the consortium of 60,000 ha of land in Nelson over 30 years if the pulp mill receives planning approvals. , , Mr Young said he was keen to see the project go ahead but that, the Government would not get involved to “push” the proposal. At

this stage it was very much a business proposition in the hands of territorial local authorities and it would have to meet all the environmental and planning requirements of the Government and local bodies;

The delegation had talked about marketing,, afforestation proposals, and technical matters. It “did not get as far as talking about alternativesites.” !-;« ?7’

Mr Laurie.-said that the visit had hot been to? sound out prospective Government support for-the venture-or to. discuss -alternative sites. The 'consortium v would . appeal against .the . .Waimea County Council's decision and saw no reason to look for sites outside the Nelson area! It would try to acquaint the public/.better ( with.!; its proposals.f Asked about the 70-per cent Australian ownership of the proposed company, Mr Laurie said that , a cost-bene-fit analysis of the proposed venture by New Zealand authorities would show that it was “very much in New Zealand’s interest.” .

Mr Young said that although recent Forest. Seiyice offers . of wood from I the Golden Downs..; forest, and other State forests in the Nelson Conservancy had been shaped to accommodate jany intentions C.S.R.-Bai-

gents might have, the consortium was having to tender competit-ivelj r with other interests. The offer will close in February. In a letter this month to Mr Rowling, the member of Parliament for Tasman, Mr Young said in answer to a query that the possibility of making State forest land available for processing would be examined if suitable processing sites were not available to allow processing, of all the wood on Offer. .7". - '■ .;

. Processing sites in States forests were not Forest Ser-1 vice’policy. The .Forest Ser;: vice i could ''be held to be.under an obligation to sup-! ply wood from a forest to! any /processing " industry/,in that fores L-This was better avoided’ inj. the. interests of fair allocations being seen to be made. ■ ■ Mr .Rowling opposes - the Eaves 'Valley site because of its highiTagricultural potential. and water-supply problems. ' • >■; He said he was not opposed to the siting of the proposed venture in the Golden Downs forest. A forest town need hot be created because labour sources were! handy at Brightwater, Richmond, • Wakefield, and Nelson. There would be no water-supply or environmental problems.