A Dunedin City Council (DCC) spokesman said the Smooth Hill landfill community liaison group would meet in late October and its membership was "due to be confirmed at that meeting".
"The group will allow us to engage with the local community and ensure we have open and constructive dialogue over the design, construction and operation of the Smooth Hill landfill."
The introductory meeting, on October 26, would be chaired by Saddle Hill Community Board chairman Paul Weir, the spokesman said.
The community liaison group is a condition of consent for Dunedin’s next municipal landfill after Environment Court mediation this year.
The group’s aim was to enable ongoing engagement with the community on the design, construction and operation of the landfill, the court decision, issued in May, said.
The group’s makeup was to include members of the community at Brighton, people from the wider community, Te Rūnanga o Ōtakou, relevant members of a newly created Independent Peer Review Panel, a representative of the landfill operator and a representative of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the decision said.
In granting consent last year, independent commissioners for the Otago Regional Council determined the public health risk at Brighton was acceptable, concerns raised by Dunedin Airport about bird strike had been addressed and community concerns about a lack of consultation were met through the information presented at the hearing.
The group of submitters from Brighton, who appealed the decision to the Environment Court, raised concerns about the city council’s process and the impact a landfill would have on the area, including Brighton Beach.
One of that group, Sarah Ramsay, of Brighton, said through the mediation process the group argued for the community liaison group participation and scope to be widened, so that the community was "consulted at every step along the way".
"This is an important first meeting for the community of Brighton, neighbours to the site and any other concerned Dunedin residents to attend," she said.
"This first meeting is our opportunity as a community to start as we mean to continue in providing constructive and valuable feedback to the DCC, that under the consent they are required to take on board."
