A South Island mining company has moved to the next step of its resource consent application to establish an alluvial gold mine in Winding Creek Valley, to the east of Waikaia.
Bromoore Gold Ltd lodged an application with Southland District Council when it looked to renew extraction of the mineral from the area.
Only one submission on the application was received when they closed at the end of last month.
This was a neutral submission from the Ministry of Education.
While the submission is not yet public, Deputy Secretary Education Infrastructure Services Kim Shannon said the nearby Waikaia School operates off bore water.
‘‘The ministry’s submission is neutral with regards to the application to establish mining.
‘‘However, we do seek to ensure that suitable monitoring of any potential impacts on the school’s water supply is included in the application of this resource consent. The ministry and applicant will work through the matters we have raised in our submission.’’
Next steps will include a potential pre-hearing meeting, a section 42A report be prepared, a hearing held and a decision issued.
The decision will have rights of appeal.
