Selwyn Times: May 09, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Tuesday May 9 2017 3
News
Delay in fence decision
•From page 1
This was for vegetation clearance
on nearby terraces so it
could intensify grazing on the
land.
It proposed fencing off Cave
Stream as a way of mitigating
the associated loss of biodiversity
on the terraces.
The landowners
will contribute
$22,000
towards the
project.
It has since
been decided,
this decision to
Allen Lim
fund the project
using ECan’s
Immediate
Steps programme for protecting
freshwater biodiversity, is
reviewed.
Te Taumutu Runanga representative
Les Wanhalla said he
will not have an opinion until
he has seen the area.
“For me to sit in the office out
of town to say yay or nay I don’t
know what I am doing,” he said.
Zone committee chairman
Allen Lim told Selwyn Times
people are forgetting the landowners
are putting in 120ha
of farmland for conservation
which is not required.
“In my view $44,000 is a
CONTENTIOUS: A decision over the project to fence a section of Cave Stream on Flock Hill
Station has been held off. ​
minimal amount . . . if there is
an opportunity to protect it, I
say protect it,” he said.
But it was questioned by
residents at the zone committee
meeting last Tuesday as to what
the fence was designed to do.
Springfield resident Nicky
Snoyink asked if a proper landscape
assessment on the terraces
had been done.
“I just wondered what the
fence will enable? I noticed
the last couple of months up
here a few of the river terraces
throughout the basin had been
over-sewed, drilled,” she said.
She had concerns the fence
would give licence for the terrace
to be turned into farmland.
ECan’s land management
advisor Johannes Welsch responded
the project is focused
primarily on freshwater and
the owners would have to go
through another consent process
through the district council
to farm the terrace.
At the meeting, resident John
Summers said the leaseholders
have a stewardship responsibility
and should be funding the
project themselves.
•HAVE YOU SAY: How do
you think the Cave Stream
fence should be funded?
Email your views to georgia.
oconnor@starmedia.kiwi
In Brief
ROAD PROJECTS PLANNED
Three new projects will soon get
under way to improve roading
connections to the Rolleston
industrial zone. Traffic volumes in
the Rolleston industrial area have
increased by more than 200 per
cent over the past 10 years. The
projects will cost $1.9 million and
have been developed by a Roading
Strategy Group. The New Zealand
Transport Agency will fund 51
per cent of the cost of the projects,
with the remaining cost funded
through a mix of district council
and developer funding.
WEST MELTON HOUSE FIRE
Firefighters battled a house blaze
in West Melton for more than
three hours yesterday. The fire
started in the roof of a Halkett
Rd property about 11am. Six fire
crews from Kirwee, Rolleston,
Burnham and Christchurch attended
the blaze. No injuries were
reported.
WATER TREATMENT
Work to install ultra violent
treatment and water filtration
at Springfield has begun and is
expected to be completed in August.
Currently the water is treated
by chlorination. In Rolleston,
UV treatment will be installed
at Moore St and Overbury Cres.
The majority of Rolleston’s water
supplies will be treated with UV
before summer.