The Waiareka Valley is not a "heritage landscape", and a plan to build a $300 million cement plant there should not be turned down because of any belief it is, the Environment Court in Oamaru was told yesterday.
That was the view of New Zealand Historic Places Trust heritage adviser Doug Bray, who appeared yesterday after being subpoenaed by Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd to provide heritage evidence on an appeal by the Waiareka Valley Preservation Society against the granting of resource consents by the Otago Regional and Waitaki District Councils in February last year for the cement plant about 3km west of Weston.
"A cement plant is a new and potentially prominent structure within the landscape.
"I do not believe, however, that it will irreversibly impact on nor change the entire character of the Waiareka Valley," he said.
The Otago-Southland area office of the trust originally lodged a submission in 2007, which Mr Bray drafted, with the two councils on the consent applications.
That submission took a "neutral stance" on the development and focused on its archaeological effects.
Mr Bray, emphasising he was appearing as an individual expert witness for Holcim, said the trust remained comfortable with the consents being granted, subject to conditions protecting archaeological features at the sites for the cement plant, coal mining, sand and limestone extraction.
The conditions placed on the consents and an archaeological authority application were sufficient to protect archaeological sites, including Maori rock art sites, and the trust did not appeal to the Environment Court.
One of the issues raised in the society's appeal was the effect of the cement plant, open cast coal mine and two quarries on the "heritage landscape" of the Waiareka Valley.
It wanted a study, paid for by Holcim, to assess the heritage landscape values and the effects of the developments.
Mr Bray outlined policies and methods which could be used to assess a heritage landscape, but believed the Waiareka Valley fell short of qualifying.
Mr Bray said he could not support any appeal being upheld because Holcim's plans would have potentially adverse effects on historic heritage values.
"I do not believe the Waiareka Valley to be a heritage landscape.
"Rather, it is a living landscape, subject to considerable change over 150 years," he concluded.
