Residents resist RSE commune
A plan to house 240 seasonal workers at a custom-built complex in Blenheim could be a ‘‘disaster’’, nearby residents say.
Hawke’s Bay company Seasonal Labour Accommodation Provider has applied to build 10 residential buildings on a 1.34-hectare section off Budge St, in Riversdale.
The company has bought a house, which will become the manager’s accommodation, and a large rear section, bordering the paoa River, where the complex will be built.
But residents say the area cannot cope with the extra traffic, with eight submissions made in opposition from Riversdale and Islington residents. Most were worried about the extra traffic on Budge St, with three noting it was the only entrance to the entire suburb of Riversdale.
Resident Judith Batty said an emergency evacuation would be ‘‘a disaster with the existing population’’, let alone with 240 extra seasonal workers.
Heavy traffic would be increased again if the Ministry of Education decided to build the colocated colleges at Waterlea Racecourse on the other side of State Highway 1, she said.
‘‘There have been too many bad decisions around railway lines in Blenheim. This could be a disaster should a quake buckle the lines and make the area even more inaccessible.’’
Eric Witteman said he was concerned the complex might become backpacker accommodation, generating even more traffic.
The traffic movements and lanes where Budge St met SH1 should be reviewed, and there were no allowances made for cyclists in the proposal, he said.
The council should submit their own traffic and parking plans, he said.
Residents who lived across the paoa River that bordered the section said the complex would change the nature of the area.
Islington resident Ross Parker said the wildlife habitats and rural character of the area would be destroyed, and the value of properties nearby would be affected.
His neighbours Paul and Maxine Rapley said, should the property go ahead, the site should be fenced along the riverbank, with ‘‘nil tolerance’’ for trespassers.
KiwiRail mainly supported the proposal, but said the western boundary of the property beside the railway should be fenced, and the company should propose more specific measures to reduce railway noise and vibration.
Planting out the boundary alone would not be enough for people trying to sleep within 100 metres of the railway, the submission said.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said more than half the buildings would be close enough to SH1 to be affected by traffic noise, and the proposal had a ‘‘lack of detail’’ regarding mitigation measures.
Some of the neighbours would speak to their submissions at a resource consent hearing at the Scenic Hotel on March 15.
Project manager Trevor Pearce said he was ‘‘a little bit dismayed’’ to learn of the opposition, but hoped to allay some concerns at the hearing.
‘‘We’re there to listen and attempt to mitigate any concerns people have. Our attitude has always been one of ‘let’s make this work’,’’ Pearce said.
‘‘We know the community needs [the complex], and from our perspective, and quite apart from our own goal of building the complex, we know it’s going to release about 40-odd houses currently being used by RSE guys.
‘‘But we know this is part of the process.’’