A Hurunui District Council-appointed commissioner has set a date of February 2 to 5 to hear an application from Far North Solar Farm Ltd to build a 181ha solar farm near Waipara, north of Amberley.
The hearing will be held in the Omihi Community Hall from 9am each day, with February 10 and 11 set as additional hearing days if required.
The district council has received 158 submissions, with 125 opposed to the proposed solar farm.
At its peak, the farm's 250,000 panels would generate up to 144 megawatts, enough to power an estimated 30,000 homes.
A Hurunui District Council staff report noted ‘‘the adverse effects of the application’’ to the landscape and the visual effects are more than minor.
Construction of the solar farm is expected to take around two years.
The district council has appointed independent commissioners, Dean Chrystal and Shannon Bray, to decide the resource consent application.
The consents were not notified, despite residents presenting a 700-signature petition to ECan in August calling for the council to publicly notify any consent application.
ECan said the consents were not notified as any adverse effects on the environment were considered to be minor and achieved ‘‘the purpose of the Resource Management Act’’.
A group of concerned residents formed Save Waipara Valley last year.
Among the group’s concerns are the potential impacts on the environment, how the solar panels would stand up to ‘‘North Canterbury's notoriously strong winds’’, risks to passing motorists from glare from the panels and the impact on property values.
A Far North Solar Farm spokesperson said the company has sought independent advice to assess the environmental impacts and consulted with neighbours prior to making the submission.
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
