North Canterbury News: May 14, 2020

Dismay over riverside dumping
By ROBYN BRISTOW
Rubbish dumped off
stopbanks along the Ashley
River behind the Rangiora
Racecourse is ‘‘outrageous
stupidity’’, alocal resident
says.
One huge dump last week
of whiteware and household
plastic was ‘‘criminal’’ and
the laststraw for the resident
who runs alongthe
stopbanks every day.
It is apopular area for
recreation and she is joined
by other runners,aswell as
peoplewalkingand biking.
The woman, who asked not
to be named, tookher
concerns aboutthe latest
dump of rubbish directlytoa
company whom she traced
from siftingthrough the pile.
She also rang the
Waimakariri District
Council, and Environment
Canterbury (ECan).
Afew days later the
rubbish had disappeared.
‘‘It is not acceptable. There
is an astonishing amount of
stuffbeing dumped around
there.
‘‘It is suchabeautiful area
Hanmer pools to reopen by end of month
By ROBYN BRISTOW
The Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and
Spa will re­open on May 26.
Generalmanager GraemeAbbot says
the pools are avital component of the
wellbeing of HanmerSprings and getting
themopen as soon as possible would
helpdrawvisitors to thetown and its
businesses.
Openingwas alsoimportant in
providing socialand mentalinteraction
for its staff, on the backof18staff being
maderedundant, includingthreefrom
Artisan Spa, off site in the village.
Mr Abbot says123 people are
employed at the pools,but somehad
already leftatthe end of the busy
summer season.
Those remaining were already starting
to filter back, and management was hard
at work crunching thenumberstosee
how to manage thosevisiting the pools at
any one time.
He says the reality is the complex
won’t make anymoney initially.
The Level2Covid­19 protocols meant
numbers would havetobelimitedto
provide distancing.
However, it was all part of rebuilding
and so peaceful.
‘‘Tosee something like that
is horrifying,’’ she says.
There was absolutelyno
excuse for the company, or
one of its employees, to
dumprubbishinthe
beautifulcountryside,
particularlywhen the
Rangiora Transfer Station
was open, she said.
‘‘Most of it was recyclable,
and that can be dropped off
for nothing.’’
She says the amountof
illegal dumping has
increased sincethe
lockdownand the easing of
restrictions seen at alert
level 3.
The area is becoming
‘‘completelylittered’’, she
says. The area had been
beautified with alot of
nativesplanted and apicnic
table installed.
‘‘Itnow looks more
inhabitedwhich helps,and a
rubbishbin has been put in
at the picnic area,’’ she says.
She hopes this might
encourage peopletostop
dumping theirrubbish in the
areaand ruining the
environmentfor others.
Graeme Abbot ... ‘‘It is veryexcitingatthe
end of asad week,with the redundancies, to
see arainbow ahead.’’
sinceclosing on March 22.
‘‘Other organisations haven’t got the
rebuilding potential we do. Also 80
percent of our customers in the past have
been domestic, so we don’t have ahuge
Eyesore ... The stopbank rubbish, which has since been removed.
relianceonoverseasvisitors,’’hesays.
A100­person plan was being worked
through, and how to manage thiswhile
using safe distancing and complyingwith
the Covid­19 protocols.
Mr Abbotsays the hexagonal pools
could potentially accommodate 20
peopleand still providesafe distancing.
Consideration was also being givento
selling time spots of maybetwo hours.
This wouldthen allowmore peopleto
use the complex in the eight­hour day,
with 100 people in eachspot.
However, moreentrances may have to
be consideredtoensure all those who
boughtatime spot actually got theirtime.
‘‘We will be open absolutely. It is very
exciting at the end of asad week,with
the redundancies, to see arainbow
ahead.’’
However, he says what the final
outcome will look like is stillbeing
workedthrough, and also withnumbers
greater than 100.
‘‘It willbeachanged lookinthese
changing times.’’
Marketing planswere being worked on
for Hurunui Tourism, as wellasthe pools
complex,todraw visitors back to the
Hurunui district and HanmerSprings.
NEWS
North Canterbury News, May 14, 2020
Council briefs
Summerset application
2095268
3
Resthome developer Summerset is
seeking to rezone land for its major
Rangiora development. The
Waimakariri District Council has
received a‘‘Private Plan Change 29’’
requestfrom Summerset Villages
(Rangiora) Ltd to rezone 141 South Belt
and 104 Townsend Road from
Residential4BtoResidential 2. The
application, which went before last
week’s council meeting, also contains a
provision for aretirement village within
the zone. Councillors directed council
staff to notify the plan change request ‘‘at
the first opportunity’’.
Groupestablished
The council'swalking andcycling
strategy reference grouphas been
established, with Crs Paul Williamsand
Sandra Stewartthe council appointees.
The reference group will have
representationfrom groups including
Environment Canterbury, police, the
Waimakariri Access Group, the Agefriendly
Advisory Group, Enterprise
North Canterbury, promotion agencies
and the four community boards.
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