The Star: July 16, 2020

The Star Thursday July 16 2020
8
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Fulton Hogan appeals conditions
• By Devon Bolger
FULTON HOGAN is making
a bid to change the conditions
under which it must operate
its controversial quarry near
Templeton.
The roading giant was given
resource consent in April to
build a 170ha quarry close to
State Highway 1 between Templeton
and Weedons.
Residents living near the site
were unsuccessful in a bid to
stop the consent
being granted.
Now Fulton
Hogan is appealing
conditions
imposed
which, if successful,
could
Simon
Moore
see less monitoring
of dust,
work able to be
carried out at night and on Sundays
and heavy trucks be able to
use roads in the area which are
not part of the resource consent.
Nearby resident Simon Moore
said he was “disgusted” with
Fulton Hogan’s appeal.
“The dust has always been one
of the top issues for us. A condition
being appealed calls for
four regulatory certified PM10
monitors and Fulton Hogan
want just one permanent one.
I am speechless, to be honest.
We didn’t even think four was
enough,” he said.
One of the resource consent
conditions was the ongoing
monitoring for respirable crystalline
silica.
Said Mr Moore: “In Canterbury,
the concentration is worse
due to the nature of the rocks we
have, greywacke. I think it is our
next asbestos issue. It can cause
lung disease, silicosis it’s called.
“From what I have read and
seen, it is our next issue for residents
and workers.”
One of the 15 conditions
Fulton Hogan is appealing is
the requirement to design and
implement a 12-month respirable
crystalline silica monitoring
programme and prepare a report
on the results within one month
of its completion.
Fulton Hogan wants a two,
four-month monitoring campaigns
instead.
The company says the
financial impact of the
conditions is unnecessarily
onerous when considered in
light of the low potential for RCS
impacts, according to expert
evidence.
Fulton Hogan South Island
general manager Craig Stewart
did not answer specific questions
put to him by The Star about the
appeal.
In a statement he said: “Fulton
Hogan’s goal for the quarry
remains to be a showcase for
other quarry operations in New
Zealand, and will lead the way
in terms of best practice and
environmental sustainability.
“We are actively and constructively
engaged in the
Environment Court process
and recognise that determines
the outcome from this stage of
the Resource Management Act
process.”
The resource consent was
granted in April by a panel of
five commissioners appointed by
Environment Canterbury and
the Selwyn District Council.
Weedons resident Stephen
Bain has lodged an appeal in the
Environment Court to overturn
the commissioners’ decision.
“I think it was a strategic move
that they have made because of
my appeal. I don’t think they
were going to do it until they
saw other people were appealing,”
said Mr Bain.
Craig
Stewart
Stephen
Bain
The approval of the quarry –
which granted consent for 35
years – imposed a number of
conditions, including setting up
a dust management plan, truck
movements limited to 1200 a
day and no work can take place
at night during the quarry’s first
five years.
The city council has also became
involved.
It decided to become a party
to proceedings on behalf of the
Hornby-Halswell-Riccarton
to try and stop the conditions
of the resource consent being
changed. The community board
has been prompted by Templeton
residents.
Fulton Hogan is appealing:
•Depositing clean fill is only
allowed between 6-8pm Monday
to Saturday. Fulton Hogan wants
it changed so the activity can
occur during evenings, night
time and Sundays.
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