ECan consent backlog holds up rail hub
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Delays in processing consents is frustrating the start of the Fairfield Freight Hub and will likely push its completion into 2024.
Wareings Group director Mark Wareing said in November that they had hoped to start construction by February.
At the start of March, the $14 million project is still waiting for resource consent as Environment Canterbury (ECan) battles with a backlog in processing applications due to staffing challenges and the increasing complexity of them.
“It’s been three and a half months now but we know ECan is under the pump at the moment,” Wareing said.
As frustrating as the wait may be, Wareing said the process will take as long as it takes and that “the project will not start until we have all four consents granted”.
ECan consents planning manager Aurora Grant said staff were processing the four resource consent applications for the Fairfield Freight Hub.
“We need to take the time to fully understand the potential environmental effect of this resource consent application,” Grant said.
“We want the best outcome for the environment and the community.
“We will endeavour to process it as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
The delays with the resource consents will likely cause a delay in delivery of the project.
Once the consents are approved, constructing the rail hub is expected to take around 12 months to complete.
The project is a triparty commercial development led by the Wareing Group (which wholly owns Fairfield Freight Hub Ltd) with KiwiRail and the Ashburton District Council, and is being constructed on a Talley’s site - the former Fairton freezing works.
The council is contributing $2.3m to help fund the relocation of the rail freight yard from the town centre to the purpose-built facility at Fairton which will be covered by money from the Three Waters Reform “Better Off Funding” support package.
The Government is also chipping in with $2.5m from Waka Kotahi’s NZ Upgrade Programme.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.8% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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