Industrial subdivision plan divides opinion
A proposed small-scale industrial development has generated large concerns among Tasman residents determined to maintain the rural charm of their village.
The Tasman District Council has received an application for a subdivision and associated earthworks at an Aporo Rd property. The proposal is to establish a small contracting yard with a raised ground level, erect two sheds and create a new vehicle access.
If successful, the site would be rezoned from Rural 1 under the Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP) to industrial, and would involve the construction of buildings in the Coastal Environment Area.
Nearby residents have raised issues about the subdivision, including changes in traffic movements around Aporo Rd and the safety of schoolchildren, increased noise and dust, and the environmental impact and cultural significance of the nearby Moutere estuary.
The council identified no special circumstances for public notification of the consents, but in a reviewed notification decision released last week, it extended the number of affected parties from 11 to 13.
Council reports deemed the application to have minor effects on the coastal marine area, but acknowledged that the proximity to the estuary made it culturally sensitive.
The applicant company, Egypt Ltd, is a small, family-owned contracting company that does general civil construction across the wider Nelson region.
Kina Beach Rd resident Aly Cook is one of those listed as an affected party. She said the development would detract from the character of the area, and was also likely to divert floodwaters on to neighbouring properties.
‘‘It involves raising the land level, and Tasman has seen severe flooding in the past.’’
Director of Egypt Ltd Mary Barnett runs the company with husband Jaden and lives near the subdivision site in the Tasman community. ‘‘We believe this is a practical use for this piece of land,’’ she said.
Barnett said the company currently operated in a residential environment in Richmond where the activity had been ‘‘fairly lowimpact from a neighbourly perspective’’.
Ruby Bay Coast Initiative Trust chairman Neil BruceMiller lives within sight of the property but had not been included in the list of those affected. ‘‘If we put at the northern gateway an industrial contractors yard, what message does that send to our visitors?’ he said.
Council communications manager Chris Choat said those in the specified affected properties had until January 25 to make a submission on the proposal. As to the reasons for TDC not making the notification public, he said there was a legal test that balanced ‘‘the needs of both the applicant and those possibly affected’’.
‘‘Tasman has seen severe flooding in the past.’’
Aly Cook, affected party