Community wins battle against new landfill
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
A community leader is relieved a proposed landfill near Oxford, in North Canterbury, won't go ahead.
‘‘We are pleased and relieved for the community that the proposal to create a landfill in the existing Woodstock Quarry site has been declined,’’ Thomas Robson (pictured), the Oxford-Ohoka Community Board deputy chairperson, says.
‘‘There was overwhelming community opposition to this proposal due to the unsuitability of the site and the potential damage to the environment.
‘‘This was evident by the huge number of submissions against the proposal, and the amount of negative feedback the community board received.’’
The board was among those who submitted against the proposal, citing traffic, fire safety, dust, operational logistics and amenity effects.
Hearing Commissioners declined an application from Woodstock Quarries Ltd to create a landfill and expand an existing quarry site last week, concluding the applicant provided ‘‘insufficient information’’.
The Oxford-Ohoka Community Board was among those who submitted against the proposal.
Woodstock Quarries Ltd submitted resource consent applications in 2021 with Environment Canterbury (ECan) and the Waimakariri District Council to develop a landfill at 513 Trigg Rd, View Hill, near Oxford.
ECan consent planning manager Aurora Grant said the commissioners concluded the project posed ‘‘unacceptable risk to nationally and regionally significant biodiversity and cultural values’’.
‘‘The decision is consistent with the Environment Canterbury officer’s recommendation, and the position of the Oxford-Ohoka Community Board and Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga.’’
During the consent process, opponents questioned the need for another landfill when the Kate Valley Landfill near Waipara, in North Canterbury had capacity and the Burwood Resource Recovery Park landfill in Christchurch was closed in 2019 due to a lack of use.
In its submission, the Oxford-Ohoka Community Board raised concerns about traffic, fire safety, dust, operational logistics and amenity effects.
In all, 397 submissions were received, with 395 in opposition.
The hearing process took more than 12 months, with 11 joint witness statements, Grant said.
Protestors interrupted a hearing in the Oxford Town Hall in July last year and were verbally abusive towards staff and commissioners.
ECan was forced to temporarily suspend the hearing, which resumed in Oxford the following month
The applicant and submitters can appeal the decision to the Environment Court within 15 working days of receiving the decision.
Woodstock Quarries Ltd director Darryn Shepherd declined to comment.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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 ❤️
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