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A winery owner has gone after a high-country station owner backing a controversial mine despite objecting to planned concerts over concerns for the “quiet rural environment”.
Restaurant and vineyard owner Hayden Johnston said it was “fundamentally irreconcilable” that Bendigo Station, which agreed to sell land to Santana Minerals, had opposed his historical attempts to hold outdoor concerts on his property, while also asserting the Australian mining company’s proposed goldmine would be compatible with the community.
But the station has disputed that characterisation and said it has always sought to be a “straightforward and constructive neighbour”.
The comments were revealed in a memorandum on behalf of The Canyon Vineyard Ltd to the panel considering Santana Minerals’ fast-track application, made public this week.
In the memorandum, Mr Johnston said Bendigo Station, in 2019, formally opposed his resource consent application for “infrequent outdoor concerts”.
To accommodate the station’s feedback and alleviate local anxiety, the proposal was scaled back to restrict events to just two daytime concerts per year.
“Despite this major operational compromise, Bendigo Station still argued aggressively that my premium wine tasting, restaurant and function venue operation would ‘conflict with the quiet rural environment’,” Mr Johnston said.
“They successfully lobbied to have those two hard-contested daytime concerts entirely prohibited due to noise concerns.”
The station also demanded restrictions on his operations, including reducing outdoor operating hours and mandating extensive screening for mechanical noise, and cited road wear and dust generation on a right of way as “hugely disruptive”, he said.
“It is fundamentally irreconcilable for Bendigo Station to claim that a local restaurant, restricted hours, and two daytime concerts per year create an unacceptable industrial, noise, and dust impact on the environment, while simultaneously asserting that a continuous, heavy-industrial open-pit gold mining operation positioned on their land right next door is seamlessly compatible with the community.”
In its submission on the application, Bendigo Station Ltd said approval was sought to undertake wine tastings, off-licence wine sales, to operate a function venue, a restaurant, concerts and to have helicopter landings at the property.
Measures had already been taken by early landowners to protect the quiet amenity and vistas of the Bendigo area, such as precluding the use of audible bird-scaring devices and requiring all electricity supply to be underground.
“The applied-for concerts are a major divergence from current activities in the area and would certainly conflict with the quiet rural environment that has been created by current land holders in the local vicinity.”
Bendigo Group general manager Grant Porter said Mr Johnston’s characterisation was inaccurate.
The submission was focused primarily on roading and a right of way that served as its principal stock access corridor between its high country and lower farmland.
Bendigo Station was concerned the significant increase in vehicle movements proposed was incompatible with the road.
Secondary concerns were raised about operating hours and generator noise.
Bendigo Station sought concerts be declined mainly because concert-scale traffic volumes of up to 4000 attendees would be incompatible with a working farm road over its land.
After the concerts were refused, Mr Johnston appealed to seek removal of a road upgrade condition and relaxation of function frequency limits, Mr Porter said.
Bendigo Station opposed this attempt and the proceeding was resolved by agreement between the parties in 2020.
“The venue has since operated with the upgraded road infrastructure that Bendigo Station had supported from the outset.
“We have always considered the Canyon Function Centre to be a genuine asset to the Bendigo area and we remain of that view.”
Station owner John Perriam’s vision for Bendigo since arriving in 1979 had always been one where farming, viticulture, horticulture and residential development could coexist and collectively strengthen the community, Mr Porter said.
“Bendigo Station has sought to be a straightforward and constructive neighbour.”
Mr Johnston’s memorandum also took aim at Santana Minerals.
No specific impact assessment was done for his sole water supply, and the company was instead asking for a “trust us” approval, Mr Johnston said.
It had also failed to engage with him or address his business constraints, “completely ignoring” the panel’s directives regarding local consultation, he said.
Santana Minerals did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.
tim.scott@odt.co.nz