Waimairi issues transfer site ultimatum

Press, 9 March 1982, Page 1

Waimairi issues transfer site ultimatum

The Waimairi County Council issued an ultimatum to the Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee last evening to reconsider the siting of Christchurch’s second refuse transfer station.

The council’s finance and bylaws committee voted to accept no more refuse from the Parkhouse Road (western) transfer station or make any further payments towards the metropolitan refuse scheme unless its demands were met by May 1. Waimairi’s ultimatum stemmed from last week’s decision t>y the Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee to build the second refuse transfer station in the eastern part of the city, instead of the northern part. .; The council,, which asserts that its dump at Johns Road is full, had always envisaged that the northern station would be built first. Last week’s decision means that the eastern station could be in use as early as next year, but the

northern station will not open before 1985. In proposing the ultimatum, the County Chairman, Mr‘ D. B. Rich, questioned whether the Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee had any legal or moral right to review its decision on the siting of the second station. He said that the May 1 deadline would give . the council a month to “make it clear., to certain -people that we (Waimairi) are not going to be messed around in this way, or have our ratepayers’ funds wasted.’’ He agreed that his proposal was “drastic,” but said that it was the last chance Waimairi. had to get what it wanted for its ratepayers. Cr Margaret Murray supported the proposal because she. said that it was up to Waimairi to “bring sanity to the situation.” , , ; r ■ She attended the-a last meeting of the Metropolitan . Refuse < Disposal ’ .’Committee and ’ was “distressed” ;to see • how from A localauthorities which favoured the eastern station being built first had voted “in., block.” ?< • ' ”, . “There were. only two. clear-headed councillors at the table,” she said. Cr ’ Murray said that Waimairi had to look at other sites for its own refuse

t disposal if it was going to withdraw from the metro- • politan scheme. , Cr R. W. Skjellerup said 1 that the. refuse disposal i situation was becoming a : “mess.” ; The' Metropolitan Refuse > Disposal Committee had virtually told Waimairi that . because it had upset the ‘ whole procedure through : planning decisions, it would : have to do what it was told, ; he said. ; “The matter is not just one ’ of political considerations to please a handful of voters; it is also one of public safety.” He cited the bird problem at the John’s Road dump as “just one part of the whole game.” . • “What is proposed is a way > of saying that they have to ) bring some reason back into , their thinking on the metropolitan refuse scheme.” : Cr Helen Tait was concerned that the ultimatum , might antagonise people who were onAWaimairi’s side in I. the • ..debate. > The council I seemed,to be using stand’over - tactics in the same way as the •:•. Metropolitan Refuse /Committee had been doing. ,’T. Mr Rich said that the time for “pussy-footing” was gone. All .the committee except Cr Tait, who abstained from voting, supported the proposal.