Palmers Quarry extension opposed

An opponent of Palmers Quarry's plan to extend its excavation at Logan Point, Dunedin, says the land in question was supposed to have formed a barrier between the quarry and the reserve next to it.

Signal Hill Rd resident Nicola Holman said the extension would mean a planned focal point of the reserve, with grassy areas and a pond, would now not be possible.

Mrs Holman and five others have opposed the plan in a submission to a Dunedin City Council resource consent hearing this month.

Palmers Quarry recently applied for consent to expand its excavation at Logan Point over the next 40 years, knocking the top off a knoll on the hill above the original quarry.

The company said it was planning extensive planting that would mitigate the changes.

The quarry, on the lower slopes of Signal Hill, processed up to 260,000 tonnes of rock each year, most of which is used in the Dunedin area for the roading and building industries.

At the top quarry, further up the hill and not visible from the flat, only five years of accessible quality rock is left, and the company wanted to progressively extend the quarry to land it owned to the east.

Submissions for the consent closed on Friday, and Dunedin City Council resource consents manager Alan Worthington said by Friday afternoon there were five submissions, two in opposition, two in support, and one giving conditional support.

The points of concern raised in the submissions were land stability, the possible effect on homes nearby, effects from noise, vibration and trucks on those homes, and visual effects.

The positives identified in submissions were that aggregates were essential, it was better for the quarry to be close to where aggregates were used, and the adverse effects would be mitigated.

Mrs Holman's submission said an exchange of land between the council and the quarry in 2007 was supposed to produce better manageable land areas and boundaries between the quarry and the reserve.

There had been no reference to any intention to extend the quarry.

Mrs Holman said last week the reserve was "right next door" to the proposed extension of the quarry.

The idea for the focal point for the reserve came from the Signal Hill Arboretum Trust development plan, an organisation of which Mrs Holman has been a member.

Apart from the effects on what was possible at the reserve, she had the personal issue of her house shaking every time there was blasting at the top quarry.

The pine trees the quarry planned to plant were not in keeping with the surrounding landscape, and were "more akin to a noxious species".

Other issues included that most people in the community did not want a quarry in the middle of the city, and while the visual impact of the extension would not be as visible from the city, it would be for residents of Opoho.

Mr Worthington said the hearing was scheduled for the end of September, though applicant and submitters were yet to be formally notified of the date.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz