Consents considered for $200m equestrian centre
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A proposed $200m equestrian centre in Canterbury is working through the consent process, after its first attempt was handed back.
Southern Parallel Equine Centre plans to establish a farming business encompassing a world-class equine centre on 65ha of land next to Lake Hood, near Ashburton.
The proposed centre would include stables, training arenas and a veterinary clinic.
Resource consent applications were submitted to the Ashburton District Council and Environment Canterbury (ECan) in November.
An independent commissioner was appointed to consider the Ashburton District Council application and deemed the consent would have limited notification on January 11.
That meant only those identified as being adversely affected - seven properties - could lodge a submission.
The site’s land owners, Graeme and Elizabeth Small, have already submitted written approval as part of the application.
The submissions close on February 9 and any submissions received will be reviewed and, if required, a hearing will be arranged.
Southern Equine project director Catherine Stuart has declined to comment on the active consent process.
The consents lodged with ECan were considered insufficient and returned on December 8, with a new application lodged on December 27.
ECan consent planning manager Aurora Grant said the application had been accepted for processing last week.
“We are currently auditing the proposal and undertaking technical reviews of the documentation provided.
“These assessments will inform whether the proposal will be publicly notified or only affected persons notified, or whether we can make a decision on a non-notified basis.”
Consent is being sought to establish an equine stud with associated facilities, including a selling centre, veterinary clinic, stabling (six stable blocks of 100 stables per block), grazing pasture, training arenas and parking.
It was hoped the consent process could be completed in early 2024 to allow construction to start later in the year, for a planned opening in the second half of 2025.
Stage two is to develop the SPC Life Skills and Education Centre for physically disabled veterans, service personnel, and para-athletes.
The foundation of the project is planned to be completed on a separate site by mid-2026 and will be subject to a separate consent process.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps 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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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
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