Sole commissioner for highway

An overwhelming 1154 submissions supported and 20 opposed the upgrade from a total of 1190 received.

A sole independent commissioner will hear 60 resource consent applications to upgrade State Highway 3 across Mt Messenger, north of New Plymouth, a Taranaki Regional Council consents and regulatory committee was told.

Dr Phil Mitchell has been appointed to replace Taranaki regional councillor David Lean as the hearings commissioner after Lean’s appointment was blocked in October when a request was made for an independent commissioner to be chosen instead.

Public submissions for the resource consent applications needed for the $200 million bypass upgrade of the road closed in February. An overwhelming 1154 submissions supported and 20 opposed the upgrade from a total of 1190 received by New Plymouth District Council.

Sixteen submissions were neutral and three were put in late so were not counted.

The committee was told the Resource Management Act provided applications to be heard by an independent commissioner, who was not a sitting regional councillor. Mitchell was an experienced commissioner who had the skills to hear the applications, the committee was told.

He is a partner with environmental management consultants Mitchell Daysh and had previously specialised in strategic planning and consent acquisition management for significant development projects in New Zealand. Under the RMA any costs incurred by having an independent commissioner are paid for by the submitters who request change.

The proposed 5.2km bypass included a bridge and tunnel and would redirect traffic on the eastern side of Mt Messenger range.

New Zealand Transport Agency applied to New Plymouth District Council for resource consent to build the roadway after funding was given the go-ahead in August by the former National Government under the Accelerated Regional Roading Fund.

The roading agency had consulted widely with public and community leaders before the announcement.

The feedback, together with the agency’s environmental and geotechnical investigations, formed the basis of the resource consent application to the district and regional councils. The road was one of five options considered in 2017 by a seven member Mt Messenger Roading Alliance.

Hearings are scheduled to be held from May 14 to June 1.