PHOTO
A North Canterbury community says the agreement of a local contractor not to use their local road to transport gravel extracted from the Waimakariri River is ‘‘fantastic’’.
Residents of Clarkville, near Kaiapoi, say a new consent issued by Environment Canterbury (ECan) last week requiring trucks to access the north bank via Diversion Road, and prohibiting access via Baynons Road, is the ‘‘best outcome’’.
The route was included as a condition after gravel extraction company SOL Screening and Crushing requested it, ECan consent planning manager Henry Winchester said.
SOL has been extracting hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of gravel from the north side of the Waimakariri River.
Up until now, trucks have been following a route which includes Baynons, Heywards and South Eyre roads at Clarkville, with the majority supplying the initial works for the Woodend Bypass.
But Baynons and Heywards roads are narrow and largely gravel, leaving residents with safety and dust concerns.
Clarkville resident Juliet Edwards said news of the change of route for the new consent is ‘‘fantastic’’.
‘‘Finally we have been listened to. It’s just the best news we’ve had in a long time.
‘‘We think we’ve had a big win. It’s pretty exciting. Finally some common sense has prevailed and people are listening to us.’’
Ms Edwards said Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey had been a strong advocate, and residents had met with Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon, ECan chairperson Dr Deon Swiggs and senior managers.
Mr Winchester said the new consent allows for the extraction of up to 424,000 cubic metres over a five-year period, including 100,000 cubic metres over the next 12 months.
Traffic management is normally the jurisdiction of the Waimakariri District Council, he said.
Mr Doocey said the ‘‘tenacity’’ of the residents had paid off, after he first met with them in April to hear their concerns.
‘‘It was concerning to hear of the lack of communication and consultation with residents on such an important issue to them, especially when there is a viable alternative route of an established gravel haulage road along the river.
‘‘It is great news to see that their tenacity has paid off and changes have been made to the consents in response to the residents’ concerns which means Baynons and Heywards roads are no longer going to be impacted by the gravel haulage.’’
Mr Gordon said he was pleased a positive out come had been reached over the route.
‘‘I will be writing to ECan as the consent issuer and the contractor thanking them for this inclusion and seeking assurances this will be honoured for not only Baynons Road but also for Heywards Road.’’
The council established a gravel haulage reference group earlier this year and will continue to monitor the situation, Mr Gordon said.
The gravel extraction sites were chosen by ECan to mitigate flood risk.
Mr Winchester said 12 companies held 17 consents to extract gravel from the river, totalling 3.725 million cubic metres.
Around 1.255 million cubic metres has already been extracted, leaving around 2.47 million cubic metres still to be extracted, subject to consent conditions such as minimum bed levels.
‘‘In areas where gravel has accumulated and raised the river bed, additional extraction may be required to maintain flood capacity,’’ Mr Winchester said.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
