Residents snubbed by mayor over quarry

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel has refused to meet with, and hear the concerns of, residents surrounded by quarries on the city’s outskirts.

Yaldhurst man Peter Mahoney requested the meeting to discuss a High Court appeal by mining company Harewood Gravels, which had its consent for a new quarry in the area struck down late last year.

Conservators Rd residents, of which Mahoney is one, have spent about $100,000 opposing the latest quarry in their area, which they described as the final straw.

Because the appeal is before the courts, council staff advised the mayor’s office a meeting would be inappropriate – something a lawyer for the residents finds hard to understand.

‘‘I’m not sure why it would be inappropriate for an elected representative to understand a ratepayer’s position. I don’t know why they’d say that,’’ lawyer Mark Christensen said.

The council refused to give its position on the case: whether it would support Harewood Gravels, support the residents, or stay neutral.

‘‘The residents [are] hoping [they] will take a neutral position . . . and leave it to the applicant to make their case,’’ Christensen said.

"The residents [are] hoping [they] will take a neutral position . . . Lawyer Mark Christensen

Council head of legal services John Gibson refused to make public statements on the council’s position while the case was before the courts, but said the council joined the case to ‘‘assist the court where required’’.

Staff would communicate the council’s position to the other parties. Mahoney would be able to discuss the matter with them, Gibson said.

Harewood Gravels is taking action in the High Court after the Environment Court in October quashed its consent to operate a 28-hectare quarry on Conservators Rd. The council issued the consent in 2016.

In the past four years, the city council and Environment Canterbury consented several quarries in the area, totalling some 300ha if they were fully developed.

‘‘This was one too many. This was, in our view, the straw that broke the camel’s back and it was no longer something you could argue would have a minor, or less than minor, effect,’’ Mahoney said in October.

Residents have complained about disruption to their way of life, and posited health and safety concerns over increased traffic volumes and quarry dust.

They have criticised the city council for consenting quarries in the rural zone without, in Mahoney’s view, considering their cumulative effects.

‘‘In an extreme case, Christchurch could be surrounded by quarries, because in each case they could prove the impact will be less than minor,’’ he said last year.

Murray Francis, the director of Harewood Gravels, has argued the Environment Court decision had huge ramifications for quarrying in the rural zone, and if it was upheld it could be difficult to gain further consents.

He said last November that residents’ concerns about dust, noise and traffic could be allayed and emphasised the importance of having a ready supply of aggregate close to the city.

Gibson said the council could not assess the strategic importance of the Environment Court decision until all appeals were exhausted.

Christensen downplayed Francis’ claims, saying the decision was a ‘‘sitespecific decision on the merits of this specific quarry in this specific area, I don’t really think it has any wider implications’’.

It is understood the High Court case will be heard some time after March 5.