Dunedin funeral company Hope and Sons' appeal against two councils over its unsuccessful bid for resource consent to build a new cremator will be dealt with as a single matter when it goes before the Environment Court.
The decision clears the way for the appeal to go before court, with a hearing date expected early next year.
Hope and Sons last month appealed a decision by the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council to decline its application to build a cremator in Andersons Bay Rd, near South Dunedin homes and businesses.
A hearing early this month dealt with the issue of whether the two applications to the different councils meant the company's single appeal was invalid.
Judge Jon Jackson has released a decision saying because the consent hearing was heard by two local authorities together, it was "obvious" the appeals should be heard together.
"Everyone was too polite to say so, but I do not overlook that Hope has saved itself $500, being the second filing fee that would be payable.
"That seems irrelevant to the issue before me anyway," Judge Jackson said in the decision.
