Nearby residents are upset and angry the city council is allowing container stacks up to six high on the land adjacent to their homes, but city council planning and consents boss John Higgins said the fact the council doesn’t know the exact height of the stacks doesn’t change its view.
“They are allowed to stack to six containers high at the moment,” he said.
That decision was made by the city council in November, pending the outcome of a resource consent application.
“I can’t see there’s been reference to an actual height (in the resource consent), only the number of containers,” said Higgins.
Investigations by The Star show operators are stacking containers at least 11.6m high, with most up to 17.4m.
“The current situation is just temporary to allow the resource process to be completed,” said Higgins.
The industrial park sits between the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River and Tunnel Rd.
Residents to the east are also upset by the noise from the site.
Property developer Richard Peebles’ company Braeburn Property owns the land.
After residents complained, Peebles lodged the resource consent application, asking to build the stacks higher than the authorised 11m.
He also wants permission to store containers four high (11.6m) on some parts of the site designated for landscaping and stormwater.
Peebles was approached for comment but has not responded.
Nearby residents said the majority of containers on the site are 40ft-long (12.1m) 45G1 ‘high-cube’ containers, commonly used for international shipping. Each one is 2.9m tall.
Resident Melissa McCutchan said eight stacks of the containers - directly opposite her house on Long St - were six high until the stacks were lowered to four last week.
Other container towers, opposite Gould Cres, were still being stacked six high (17.4m) last week.
A city council environmental health officer visited the area on Friday at 6.45am to monitor noise levels.
The city council said no one is forewarned when council officers visit, but they do sometimes use sign-written vehicles.
Residents claim work at the site often stops when those vehicles are seen in the area.
City council head of regulatory compliance Tracey Weston said a combination of (sign-written) pool and unmarked vehicles will continue to be used, depending on what is available at the time.
-By Tony Simons
