QueenstownDump application rejectedBy CHRIS MORRIS PLANS to establish a dump for 108,000cu m of clean fill in the Wakatipu basin have been rejected by independent commissioners.
Wakatipu Cleanfill Ltd had applied for consent to deposit the clean fill in a natural gully within North Ridge Estate, off Malaghans Rd in the Wakatipu basin, over a period of up to two years.
The dump's operation would have involved 86 truck movements - entering or leaving the site - each day to fill the 22,800sq m site to a depth of 11m.
The proposal has attracted 64 submissions in opposition and two in support.
Wakatipu Cleanfill Ltd's representatives argued the district's rapid population growth, intense development and a lack of clean-fill sites as reasons consent should be granted.
The commissioners' decision, obtained by the Otago Daily Times yesterday, ruled out the proposed dump, saying the application was inconsistent with the policies and objectives of the Queenstown Lakes District Council's district plan.
Independent commissioners Trevor Shiels and Christine Kelly also noted the proposal to "sacrifice" a natural gully for the dump had caused them "major concern".
"We accept there is a need for further clean-fill disposal sites in Queenstown.
"The nature of the topography and the pace of development make this inevitable.
"Clearly, also, this will require truck movements, and truck movements on road need to be accepted by residents.
"The particular aspects of this application that have caused us major concern are the sacrifice of the natural feature for a relatively short-term benefit, and the impact on the immediate neighbourhood."
The clean fill was to be deposited in a gully carved by glacial movements, which submitters during a two-day resource consent hearing had urged should be protected from "short-term commercial gain".
The proposed site was surrounded by designated outstanding natural landscapes, including Coronet Peak, Bowen Peak, the Shotover River and the wider Wakatipu basin itself, which included the site, Sugar Loaf and Ferry Hill.
