Tanks decision next week

The Central Otago District Council wants to breach its own recently changed district-planning rules by establishing a water reservoir in Omakau which will extend above a ridge line.

Independent commissioner Andrew Henderson, of Dunedin, yesterday heard the council's application to itself for land-use consent to place six green 30,000-litre tanks on a ridge southeast of the Omakau Golf Club rooms.

Mr Henderson's decision on the matter will be announced next week.

The site is part of the Omakau Recreation Reserve and is leased by the golf club, which has given its approval for the tanks to be located on the land.

Proposed changes to the district plan - plan change 5 - were advertised in October, and included a rule that rural buildings and structures should not protrude on to the skyline or above a ridge line when viewed from any public place.

The changes took effect from October 11 and breaching the rules was a discretionary activity.

The Omakau reservoir proposal breaches the ridge line rule and also breaches another requirement of the district plan, by being only 5m from the nearest property boundary instead of a minimum of 10m.

Four submissions were received to the council's application.

Three submitters supported the proposal and the Central Otago Environmental Society opposed the application and asked for bunds and landscaping to screen the tanks from view.

The council's development engineer, Peter Morton said the concrete tanks that made up the town's existing reservoir were on private land behind St Peters Church in Racecourse Rd.

"They are in very poor condition and require urgent replacement," Mr Morton said.

Omakau was a low-pressure scheme and residents suffered from limited water-pressure because of the lack of elevation of the tanks and their distance from town.

More capacity was needed and for improved water pressure, it was best to use a higher site.

The golf course land was the only suitable elevated site available.

The council's planing consultant David Whitney recommended the commissioner grant consent, subject to conditions, including landscaping to screen the site.

He said any adverse effects of the proposal on the landscape could be mitigated by the colour of the tanks and by plantings.

The council's planning manager, Louise van der Voort, said "a minimum amount of weight can be attributed to the breaches of the district plan which have resulted from plan change 5, as it is in the early stages of the process . . ."

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