TDC pursuing dam land bill

Nelson MP Nick Smith says he has secured the support of all 56 National MPs for a local bill that aims to secure land access for the proposed Waimea dam.

‘‘My ambition is to secure the full support of all parties and MPs, and I will be working on this in the coming weeks in preparation for the first reading and vote, due in August,’’ Smith said.

The local bill, which was notified by Tasman District Council this week, seeks to gain an inundation easement over 9.6 hectares of conservation land in Mt Richmond Forest Park, near Nelson. The easement is needed for the creation of the reservoir for the proposed dam in the Lee Valley. The bill would also secure a right to construct the dam on Crown riverbed.

Local bills deal with matters confined to a particular locality, and must be promoted by a local authority. The move comes after the Department of Conservation said the council’s intention to secure access under the Public Works Act could not proceed as proposed.

Smith said he would be sponsoring the bill through Parliament as the local MP ‘‘and will be doing all I can to build widespread support for its passage’’.

‘‘My arguments for supporting it will be that it was strongly supported by the Tasman District Council where the resolution for it was passed without dissent; that it is consistent with agreements reached with DOC; that it enables the new Government’s announcement . . . to honour funding commitments for this Waimea project; and because of the considerable environmental and economic benefits for the Nelson and Tasman communities.’’

Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne said it was disappointing that the council had to pursue a local bill.

‘‘Despite previous agreements, over the past few months DOC has advised us we can’t use the Public Works Act to gain access to the land we need for the dam reservoir after all,’’ Kempthorne said. ‘‘A local bill is now the best option for gaining access to this land.’’

The bill was was likely to be introduced into Parliament some time in the week starting August 14, he said.

Smith said that if the first reading was agreed, he intended to refer the bill to the Governance and Administration Select Committee, which deals with local government issues.

Select committees normally invite public submissions on a bill, and Smith said he expected that to be the case with the dam bill. He said he was likely to ask for it to come back by late November or early December.

‘‘My ambition is to try and get the bill through this year. Local bills are not generally contentious, and my hope is that this bill will enjoy wide support.’’

The bill can be inspected at the council’s Richmond office, online via tasman.govt.nz or at Richmond Library.

‘‘My hope is that this bill will enjoy wide support.’’

Nelson MP Nick Smith