Fast track for smelter

Press, 29 April 1981, Page 1

Fast track for smelter

Parliamentary reporter Fast-track provisions have been approved for the second aluminium smelter at Aramoana, near Dunedin. The Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) announced yesterday that the Government had agreed to make the project subject to the procedures of the National Development Act. National Development Order No. 2 has been signed by the Governor-General (Sir David Beattie) in Council.

The order relates to an application by South Pacific Aluminium, Ltd. and the Otago Harbour Board for planning and other consents needed before building and operating the proposed smelter and associated works. Involved in the main works are the 200, tonne capacity aluminium smelter, a 100,000-tonne capacity continuous casting plant, a carbon anode plant, reclamation of land, and wharf construction. Consents to these will

be needed under various acts of Parliament, including the Town and Country Planning, Water and Soil, Harbours, Soil Conservation and Rivers Control, Clean Air, Local Government, and Historic Places Acts.

The applicants seek the granting of these consents together, in accordance with the National Development Act. The application was lodged on March 30, and Mr Birch said yesterday that, .as ‘ there was no united council for the region, he had consulted eight local authorities in the region on the possible use of the fast-track provisions.

“I am pleased ta say that all the local authorities supported the use of the National Development Act for this' proposal,” said Mr Birch, who has written to each body thanking them for prompt consideration of the application.

“I shall now -refer the application to the Plan-

ning Tribunal for inquiry,” said Mr Birch. . “Public notice of this referral will be given and copies of the application sent to all the authorities that would otherwise consider granting the consents sought,, but which will-now report directly to the tribunal,” he said. Copies of the application would be available to the public through the offices of the Planning Tribunal, he said.

The decision ..was criticised by the Opposition’s Shadow Minister of the Environment (Mr M. K. Moore), who said that its' announcement while the Erebus disaster dominated the headlines was “just, another cynical attempt to cover up a sinister move to implement the ‘think big’ programme.” — , “It is obvious that big business and big Government have got together to force the issue through while the public attention is diverted by the Erebus tragedy,” he said. “They seek to have our

‘energy’, and ‘future’ tied up before the Election to commit future Governments.

“This decision, made in a frenzy of Election-year rhetoric to make a pamphlet look good, will be regretted by all New Zealanders. It is a fast trick, not a fast track,” he said.

The Press Association reports from Wellington that groups opposed to the proposed.smelter say they will continue to fight the development in spite of yesterday’s approval for fast-track planning. A Coalition for Open Government spokesman, Mr K. Johnson — representing an amalgam of conservation and environment groups— said last evening that approval to use the act did not end debate on the project. “We will not be able to discuss questions of national interest. The act restricts discussion at the Planning Tribunal hearing to .site specifics,” Mr Johnson said.