Santana wants to establish, operate and remediate an open pit and underground gold mine on Bendigo and Ardgour Stations, about 20km north of Cromwell.
It was one of the first proposed projects lodged under the new fast-track process in October last year.
The project has proved controversial with environmental interests, and the panel is close to making a decision.
A minute issued yesterday said the panel still had some questions to ask of the applicants, supporters and opponents.
Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project expert panel chairman Matthew Muir, KC, said in his minute they hoped to arrange a series of ‘‘conferences’’ before wrapping up the hearings process by the end of this month.
He proposed the subjects include economics, waters, transport and planning, landscapes, heritage and architecture, geotech and ecology.
Experts had already been appointed for each topic for the applicant and the submitters.
Among the dozens of questions to be raised include what constitutes national and/or regional benefits, what would be the worst-case scenario for depletion of the environment, what are the likely mass load changes to the receiving groundwater, where would be the most suitable location for the release of the salvaged native lizards, and how best to undergo aquatic ecology and stream ecological valuation monitoring.
Before making the decision on the application, the panel would also like all sides to focus on an array of key areas.
These included acknowledging ‘‘the existing landscape character and values of the site and its context’’, ‘‘tangata whenua values and cultural associations’’ and ‘‘the influence of previous gold-mining activities’’.
The submitters and applicants were due to confirm their presence at the conferences by the end of today.
Mr Muir’s minute did not specify the format of the conferences, although it hinted at the possibility of parties being able to cross-examine on certain topics.
