A beautiful beach is threatened by the Dunedin City Council’s determination to build a landfill at Smooth Hill, a community advocate says.
Saddle Hill Community Board chairman Scott Weatherall yesterday described Brighton as New Zealand’s most beautiful beach and it was at risk because of the proposed landfill, he said.
‘‘Absolutely disgusting, I have to say,’’ Mr Weatherall said.
‘‘You need to consider the better alternatives.’’
The community continued to have concerns about the planned $92.4 million Smooth Hill facility, he said.
Mr Weatherall said there was community consultation in 1992.
A community liaison group had been set up in recent times as a condition of the council’s resource consent, but had not met for months, he said.
Mr Weatherall provided his thoughts at a council 2025-34 long-term plan hearing yesterday.
The council’s preferred option is to build Smooth Hill, and to do so without a private partner in the project.
Council staff have been largely dismissive of an alternative option - exporting waste out of the city.
However, the council has been receiving significant pushback about its assertions, including from mayoralty candidate Andrew Simms.
At the long-term plan hearing yesterday, Dunedin businessman Ted Daniels observed $92.4m ‘‘seems to be a lot of money for a rubbish dump’’.
He wanted other options to be examined before any call being made to commit the funds.
Rubbish would need to be brought in from other areas to Smooth Hill and ‘‘I think that’s probably not a good investment’’.
