Southern View: July 23, 2019

SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday July 23 2019 3
News
No progress finding MDF solution at Owaka site
• By Georgia O’Connor-Harding
ONGOING: A resource consent has been lodged to mix the
MDF at the Owaka site in with soil. Owaka Holdings director
Alan Edge said mixing the MDF in with soil is a “safer” option.
THE ONGOING saga to get
medium density fibre removed
from the contentious Owaka site
is in limbo.
Owaka Holdings Ltd lodged a
resource consent application to
combine about 6800m of MDF
with a similar amount of soil
to form a bund at its site on 59
Owaka Rd.
The bund is proposed to be
covered with topsoil and planted
with vegetation and grass.
If approved, the MDF would
no longer need to be removed
from the site.
The site has been a contentious
issue for years and came to a
head when the MDF spontaneously
caught alight spreading
thick smoke and taking weeks to
contain.
The city council issued Owaka
Holdings an abatement notice in
April 2015, which said all MDF
had to be removed by April 2016.
The city council did not reimpose
it after it lapsed because it
started a compliance investigation.
In April last year, the city
council threatened Environment
Court action over Owaka Holdings
Ltd failing to comply with
removing the MDF.
City council head of regulatory
compliance Tracey Weston told
Southern View this week enforcement
action is on hold pending
the outcome of the application.
The resource consent was
lodged on November 27 and city
council staff is currently waiting
on more information before
proceeding the application.
It is waiting for further information
relating to stormwater,
transmission lines, contamination
and approval from Orion,
which is adjacent to the site.
Ms Weston said the last
notification the city council
received regarding the MDF
being removed was between the
period of January-May, 2017.
So far, 539.49 tonnes have been
removed.
In April last year, a city
council investigation found the
stockpiles of MDF were not permitted
by the District Plan and
not authorised by a resource
consent. MDF is an engineered
wood product made by breaking
down hardwood or softwood
residuals.
Owaka Holdings director
Alan Edge said he thinks the
proposal is a safer option.
When asked by Southern View
if the proposal would save the
company the expense of removing
the MDF from the site, Mr
Edge said “not really.”
“The amount of money the
consultants and scientists have
done on the MDF has not been
cheap,” he said.
The Owaka site has been
a contentious issue with the
Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
Community Board for years.
But city councillor Jimmy
Chen, board chairman Mike
Mora and deputy chairwoman
Helen Broughton were unaware
the resource consent had been
lodged.
Mrs Broughton said she only
found out because she kept asking
council staff for updates on
the removal of the MDF.
“We were promised a briefing
every two months and we
haven’t had any briefings . . . I
got told there was no need for a
briefing because it was no longer
an issue of the MDF being taken
away.”
Mrs Broughton said she was
concerned because she thought
the MDF was being taken away
and it is not.
Cr Chen said he has not seen
a copy of the resource consent
but is trusting city council
planners will follow the process
to determine the safety of the
proposal. An assessment of
environmental effects found
the proposal had considerable
positive effects in providing an
on-site solution to the MDF
material.
Orion, which is adjacent to
the site, was consulted on the
proposal. Its works delivery
manager Anthony O’Donnell
said Orion was concerned
about stormwater run-off
entering their property. Orion
is in ongoing discussions about
matters raised in the proposed
plans.
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In Brief
Fire rages, homes at risk
FACILITY IDEAS SOUGHT
The city council will gather ideas
on the new Hornby Library,
Service Centre and South
West Pool at the next Greater
Hornby Residents’ Association
meeting. City council staff will be
attending the meeting to discuss
options for the new facility and
scope of the building. It is after
the Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
Community Board approved the
reclassification of part of Kyle
Park and made management plan
amendments to allow the facility
to be built. The meeting will be
held at the Hornby Rugby Club on
Sunday, 2pm.
NO STOPPING RESTRICTIONS
No stopping restrictions could be
installed across from retirement
village Summerset in Wigram.
The Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
Community Board will look to
approve the restrictions adjacent
to the vehicular access point at
Summerset at its board meeting
today.
BOTTLE STORE HEARING
The hearing over the Bottle-O
Halswell application for an offlicence
liquor store at 29 Ensign
St will be held next week. The
hearing is a result of the Halswell
Residents’ Association appealing
against the decision allowing
Bottle-O to open the store.
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