Toxic waste disposal raised at hearing

Press, 25 August 1983, Page 8

Toxic waste disposal raised at hearing

Possible toxic waste disposal at the Waimairi Beach landfill has drawn a twentieth objection at a hearing into the landfill’s access route.

The Planning Tribunal was told yesterday that acceptance of toxic waste was not a condition in the Christchurch Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee’s earlier landfill application hearing.

“I am amazed and concerned that new evidence can be introduced at this hearing,” said Mr C. L. L. Smith, who owns property near the landfill. Mr Smith said that the tribunal’s interim decision last year had approved the landfill if a suitable access route could be found. That approval had been based on management conditions submitted at the original hearing. Now new conditions had been introduced. Mr Smith said the new conditions had made him object to the hearing again. For the Refuse Committee, Mr J. R. Milligan, said that the possibility of toxic waste “accidentally” arriv-

ing at the landfill had already been acknowledged. The committee did not plan to accept toxic material, but now if directed to do so by the Medical Officer of Health, it could.

Mr P. T. McCombs a traffic engineer, said that the proposed access route in its existing state was “not suitable.” The route would need improvement before the landfill opened, he said. The proposed route will see up to 90 trucks travelling to the landfill along Marshland Road, Prestons Road, and across Burwood Road to the Bottle Lake Forest Park. A special road would be built through the park to bring the trucks to the landfill at its eastern edge.

Mr McCombs said that an alternative to the Prestons Road deviation planned by the Waimairi District Council would see trucks avoid houses by passing Mairehau Road and then to the forest. Prestons Road and Marshland Road should be widened and the corner of Prestons Road and Burwood Road improved, he said. Mr D. Currie, a Parklands

resident, also said that site management conditions contained “too many variations from the previous proposals.” He said that rubbish piles, given a maximum height of 25 metres above sea level at the last hearing, had now grown four metres. The measurement was to be taken from a different base, above sea level.

Mr Currie said that plans to screen Parklands houses from trucks on the forest driveway might not succeed. A 300-metre band of trees would be felled within the life of the landfill. Assurances that the felling would be done in rotation were not “exactly positive.” The driveway carrying vehicles would increase the fire risk, he said. He also questioned the ability of those overseeing the landfill to be independent when their input had shaped the landfill’s direction.

The hearing ended yesterday with the tribunal, comprising Judge Skelton (chairman) and Messrs R. A. McLennan, G. W. Ensor and R. S. Martin, reserving decision.