Rubbish site angers farmer

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 609, 24 October 1995, Page 3

Rubbish site angers farmer

Siting of Orautoha' s rubbish transfer station has its next door neighbour angry and he is drumming up support for a change to the Ruapehu District Council's decision. Valley resident Gordie McNie told the Bulletin he believes the site, in a council-owned stock holding paddock, is inferior to the old Orautoha dump site. He says the new site is in an open paddock that will spoil views from many parts of the valley including his own property as well as from the road leading into the valley. "This is a beautiful valley but this is going to be smack bang in front of people as they drive in," he claims. Mr McNie believes the old site is preferable for the transfer station because it would be more easily obscured from view and because it would be used by more people of the valley. He believes people will drive straight past the new site and dump their rubbish in Raetihi when they go to town. He also feels the work that has been done to tidy up the old dump means it is halfway to being ready to serve as a transfer station. "All they need to do is dump another load of metal to increase the turning circle, so it would be a cheaper option too." Mr McNie is also angry at the way the project has been handled. He said he kne w about the proposal when it was reported in the Ruapehu Bulletin that the Waimarino Community Board supported the new site. Mr McNie said he was assured by board members that the council would have to hold a Resource Management Consent hearing at which he would have a chance to have his say. But the operations branch of the Ruapehu District Council applied to the RMA consent branch — the town planners — who decided that the application could be treated as a non-notified consent. Town planner Jeff Page said they are required to contact

all adversely affected parties and obtain their written consent. He said it was decided, after a site inspection, that the neighbours would not be adversely affected as the transfer station is well within the boundaries of the council' s own land. Continued on Page 2

Orautoha rubbish FROM PAGE 3 Mr Page said the environmental effects would be minor. Mr McNie said he was told by council that there was no way the decision could be reversed because it would be too costly given the amount of work already done. "All they've done so far is knock down the fence, which is half a day's work for one joker," he said. Mr Page said Mr McNie can apply to the High Court to have the consent decision over-tumed.