End of rubbish site hearing near

Press, 21 May 1982, Page 4

End of rubbish site hearing near

Members of the Planning Tribunal considering the Waimairi Beach landfill site spent most of yesterday hearing evidence that had been presented at last year’s Waimairi hearing. It was the ninth day of this hearing, which is expected to end this morning; The hearing is before Judge Skelton, and Messrs G. W. Ensor, R. S. Martin, and R. A. McLennan. It is considering an appeal against the decision of five local bodies to have the Waimairi Beach site designated for landfill. A planner and land surveyor, Mr J. Edmonds, who appeared under a subpoena issued by the Queenspark Community Association and others, presented a case both for and against the landfillrecreation concept.

On the positive side, the concept “promotes the idea of managing the coastal area as a recreational setting where the public may experience qualities of solitude and isolation?' Mr Edmonds told the hearing. But on the negative side,

landfill “would impinge upon the public's enjoyment of a remote experience."

A Christchurch company director, Mr C. L. L. Smith, argued that the proposed site should only be “undertaken in the area if the residents of the local community themselves find it acceptable."

Mr Smith said that a company, of which he is managing director, had bought and developed residential sections in the area for the last 10 years. “At present the company has 90 residential sections developed and available for sale, and although demand has varied for these sites, there seems to be a renewal of interest in the area following the rejection of the proposed landfill by the Waimairi District Council," he said.

The manager of the Resource Management and Planning Division of the North Canterbury Catchment Board, Mr R. W. Cathcart, said that many matters of concern. in the landfill scheme in the 1981 proposal

had been "adequately dealt with in the 1982 proposal."

However, he said that consideration should also’ be given to providing suitable drainage between the “new secondary dune” landfill and the foredune complex to prevent any rise in the beach water table or any seepage of leachates on to the beach. Mr R. A. Garbutt, a member of the Burwood Residents’ Association, said his group believed that the designated traffic routes for. heavy trucks would cause an increased risk and nuisance to residents in the community The group also objected to the landfill proposal because it would mean the loss of a coastal recreation area which was used by many local residents. A Bower Avenue resident, Mr C. L. Foster, told the hearing that he objected to the proposed landfill because of the effects it'would have on the surrounding environment and because Bowef Avenue was intended to be the only access route.

Local residents did not deserve “20 years of mental and physical torment” which the proposed landfill would cause, Mr C. A. Reynolds, of 134 Beach Road, told the hearing. He objected because of the danger and nuisance potential from increased heavy traffic, the possibility of structural damage to his home caused by heavy truck vibrations, and because the value of his property would decline. More maintenance would be needed because of truck exhaust fumes and it was likely that Bower Avenue would- have to be widened north of Beach Road.

Another local resident, Mr S. Schneider, of 133 Queenspark Drive, asked the tribunal to decline approval for the landfill because there was no comprehensive engineering plan for the proposal. No residential "A” property would ever be exposed to such a proposal, he said. Traffic volumes had been “grossly” underestimated and Bower Avenue, as a

residential street, should not be used as an access road.

On Wednesday, the vicepresident of the North New Brighton Residents’ Association, Mr D. H. Saunders, said his association believed that Waimairi Beach was not the best site for refuse disposal in the Christchurch region.

In choosing a site, the Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee should have avoided changing the character of an area and restricting public access to areas of existing recreational importance.

The Chaneys plantation site was more acceptable for a landfill. There was 54ha of scrub land north of the Christchurch Drainage Board treatment plant site which could be used immediately for landfill.

A big residential subdivision was only 400 metres away from the. Waimairi coastal site, while the nearest residential "A” land to the Chaneys site was Ikm awav.