STOP THE CLEANFILL

SUMMARY OF CLEANFILL APPLICATION.

• RDC Council confirmed to WEPS they would “vigorously defend the DECLINED DECISION” – Penny Webster gave us her word.

• The proceedings have fallen into the timeframe of transition from RDC to Auckland Council

• Auckland Council legal representation (previously RDC representatives, Simpson Grierson – Gerald Lanning) have stated they are working in a vacuum “and have no one to take instruction from” – the Hearings Committee has now been formed but the “vacuum” has been present for some time.

• Auckland Council Regulatory Committee have decided to settle the appeal with the applicant and thus to grant the consent incorporating a number of consent conditions – the decision was made 21 December in a closed meeting

• This is a non-complying activity under the RDC District Plan because it exceeds 1000m3 – the proposal is for one million cubic metres of loose cleanfill (625,000m3 compacted)

• 1,000,000 cubic metres of cleanfill is to be imported ( from anywhere) without ANY strict controls of content before it reaches the site – protected mature native bush borders the site and the community fears Kauri dieback disease will enter our established mature native Kauri trees

• This proposed cleanfill location does not meet the site selection criteria in the Ministry for the Environment Cleanfill Guidelines. It is sited on steep unstable land (Onerahi Chaos Brecchia/ Northland Allochthon – a recognised natural hazard in the RDC District Plan), is sited in a water course ( streams destroyed) and is a flood prone area ( recognised by RDC ) – all reasons stated as fundamental flaws in the Ministry for the Environment Guidelines

• On the application site 220 metres of stream will be destroyed along with mature Kauri trees and other natives being removed

• The cleanfill will produce sediment runoff and 25% of produced sediment will enter the waterways (approved by ARC) – flowing into the Waipapakara Stream the Kaukapakapa Stream and the Kaipara Harbour (with potential negative impacts on the whole West Coast snapper hatchery)

• These streams and downstream from them are already in a recognised flood catchment with flooding occurring several times a year in normal rain events i.e. water crosses the Kahikatea Flat Road and floods Waitoki (downstream of applicant site) several times a year The application site requires access for 360 truck movements per day via an unformed paper road with access off Kahikatea Flat Road

• The application site does not border Kahikatea Flat Road and the access road will dissect a small working farm of a resident who was born on the property and took over the land from his father and this will cause significant negative effects on his farming operations and enjoyment of his property

• The road will be 660 metres long and will be gifted to Auckland Council. Auckland Council will be required to maintain a road being used for private purposes. The road design does not meet minimal engineering requirements ( 16% gradient as opposed to max standard of 8%), will require tree maintenance ( necessary for screening the activity) and cannot adequately cope with storm water runoff

• Furthermore, the Auckland Council will be gifted responsibility of a 13.5 metre bridge which is required to cross the Waipapakara Stream and it is noted in the application, that regular maintenance of the stream banks will be required to prevent further flooding

• Kahikatea Flat Road has 2.5 times higher than normal the average accident rate. It currently also has a higher average of truck traffic and this application would see the daily truck traffic DOUBLE on Kahikatea Flat Road

• The Kahikatea Flat Road and Pine Valley Road and Whitehills Road intersection is of major concern to the community also – it currently has poor site lines for current traffic volumes and has a very high accident rate

• This application is unprecedented in terms of size and scale – it equals the volume of concrete used in the construction of the Clyde Dam!

• The community will be exposed to noise, dust, traffic, a total loss of current rural residential amenity values and will need to cope with environmental risks such as flooding, sediment in the waterways, loss of ecological environments – flora and fauna

• The application site has endangered ornate and copper skinks living in the current habitat which the applicant believes can be monitored and relocated if necessary. The community does not agree with this approach

• The receiving environment is rural residential which is reflected in the Rodney Rural Strategy and the proposed activity is incongruent to the receiving environment. Many properties surrounding the site are rated rural /residential

• There are 10 houses located on the immediate boundary of the property and these residents will be severely affected by noise, dust, truck traffic, vibration, loss of visual amenity and rural residential character for a minimum period of 10 years– all of these effects do not currently exist today

• The application site is viewed by a very wide catchment and the noise, traffic impacts and loss of visual amenity will impact the whole communityThe Wainui area is the 8th highest populated planning area in Rodney and is predicted to have 40% growth which is higher than traditional rural residential areas such as Coatesville or Dairy Flat. Only 3 farms in a 5km radius of the site are viable farming activities – the rest are lifestyle blocks with people earning their income by other means other than the land

• Should consent be granted for this proposal, there will be significant monitoring and compliance responsibilities required by Auckland Council which has the potential to cost Auckland council a significant amount of money

• The bonds stated in the application proposed conditions are not adequate for full cost recovery and due to the location size and scale of the proposal it is a high risk. RDC have already experienced several situations where cleanfills have cost Council large sums of money due to road repairs and cleanfill collapse where ratepayers have had to foot the bill for cost of the repairs

• The community will have to become the locally based “enforcement officers” and in WEPS experience inappropriately located activities such as this cleanfill result in community and council resources being tied up for years. The local community do not want this responsibility

• The Rodney District is well serviced with cleanfills currently operating which have a life of at least 15 years - there is no “need” for this cleanfill but the Applicant puts a tremendous emphasis on this need.

WEPS is well researched and has engaged expert witnesses throughout the RMA process to represent the significant adverse effects of this proposal on the local environment.

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