Farm site path shut

Spicer Forest will be closed to the public until December next year due to work on Mill Creek wind farm, Meridian Energy announced last week.

The closure is part of the wind farm consent conditions, which require all construction vehicles to access the wind farm site through the forest, which is adjacent to Spicer Landfill.

Meridian started harvesting around two hectares of pine trees yesterday to develop an access route from the Porirua end to Ohariu Valley Road. The access route will then be used for vehicles involved with the project to access the wind farm site.

The section of the Te Araroa national walkway which runs through the forest will be relocated so it can remain open to the public.

Meridian Energy has worked with joint forest owners, Wellington and Porirua city councils, on the closure, which is a safety precaution, says Meridian project manager Chris Jones.

“The new Te Araroa walkway is well away from the construction access route, so those who use the walkway can do so as safely as possible. The walkway will be accessed from Ohariu Valley Road or from the existing Colonial Knob walkway from Porirua.”

The Mill Creek wind farm, between Ohariu Valley and Wellington’s west coast, will take 30 months to build and is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 30,000 average New Zealand homes.