The Star: July 11, 2024

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The Star Thursday July 11 2024 4 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Clarity sought over rocket facility • From page 1 Dixon would not say what that opposition would be. Residents are talking to “sources” to determine what they should do next. They have not decided whether they will publicly oppose any vertical rocket launches, hoping to engage with the Tāwhaki Joint Venture first. “We’re going on a fact finding mission to see what people know.” said Dixon. Tāwhaki chief executive Linda Falwasser did not answer questions from The Star asking whether Tāwhaki had informed nearby residents about possible vertical launches and what consultation might take place in the future. In an emailed statement she said: “Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete is a multi-use facility and we are taking a phased and considered approach to its development in line with demand, and so the land flourishes for generations to come. “Our focus to date has been supporting the aerospace sector in Aotearoa and scaling up the site accordingly, alongside environmental rejuvenation work and planning. “We recently completed the construction of a sealed runway that enables horizontal space SPACE SPOT: Kaitorete Spit is currently home to a small runway and hangar. PHOTO: TĀWHAKI NATIONAL AEROSPACE CENTRE launch and a hangar build is underway. “We’ve also been talking to international companies to understand sector demand and potential infrastructure requirements for vertical launch,’’ the statement said. Tāwhaki said the potential for vertical launch had been public record since the joint venture was established. But residents dispute this. Dixon said Tāwhaki assured them the aerospace centre would only be used for horizontal and drone flights at the meeting in June 2021. Dixon says residents believe they have been “misled”. The joint venture has seen about $30 million of Government investment and has the twin goals of advancing New Zealand’s aerospace industry and funding environmental restoration in the Kaitorete Spit. The aerospace centre opened in February with a 1km long, 30m wide runway. Tāwhaki estimates the aerospace centre will generate 1300 high-paying jobs and create up to $2.4 billion in national economic benefits over 10 years. The Government is expecting a business case from Tāwhaki at the end of the year for further development at the centre. But New Zealand Space Agency deputy head Andrew Johnson said there are currently “no formal plans in place to construct launch pads’’. Environment Canterbury and the city council have not received any consent applications for the construction of launch pads. ECan consents planning manager Aurora Grant said the consents Tāwhaki will need for vertical rocket launches could be similar to those approved for a Rocket Lab complex at Kaitorete in 2015 which was cancelled after the company found a better site. These included consents for discharging contaminants into the air, discharging stormwater relating to new buildings, and a permit to occupy a coastal marine area with a rocket launching complex. There was opposition to the Rocket Lab plans from Birdlings Flat residents at the time. The residents have not decided whether they will publicly oppose rocket launches, hoping to engage with the Tāwhaki Joint Venture first. An open day for the aerospace centre which invited nearby residents was meant to be held on June 9, but was cancelled due to bad weather. Some residents turned up anyway, unaware of the cancellation. Tāwhaki staff at the site said they were unaware of any plans for vertical rocket launches. The residents want their concerns answered which include potential environmental impacts on the unique ecosystems in Lake Ellesmere and Kaitorete. “I don’t know if rockets are going to be too good for bird life,” said Dixon. Falwasser would not comment on any planning Tāwhaki is undertaking for environmental protection. The potential for vertical rocket launches to affect traffic infrastructure and freedom of movement in Birdlings Flat are also concerns they want addressed. “If they even consider blocking off access to the beach, they have a big fight coming,” said a resident. 409 Main South Rd, Hornby dress-smart.co.nz Styles may differ to images shown.
Thursday July 11 2024 The Star Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz NEWS 5 Full sewerage system blocks housing development in face of intensification • By Niva Chittock PARTS OF Christchurch are off-limits for further housing development because the sewage system is full. The city council has been pushing back on new central government rules for housing intensification, but its exemption runs out next year. An independent investigator was appointed and the council held hearings earlier this year on the proposed changes, called Plan Change 14. More policy changes were announced by the Government last week. ‘Going for Housing Growth’ will require major councils to have 30 years worth of land zoned for housing, allows more mixed use of land so neighbourhoods can have cafes and dairies, and removes minimum size and balcony rules for apartments. City councillors are under pressure to get the ball rolling, but in parts of Christchurch, infrastructure is at capacity. When heavy rains hit the city in 2021, some suburbs could not flush their toilets because the wastewater pipes were full. The city council resorted to using sucker trucks to keep the pipes moving. Aranui, Shirley and Prestons all had vacuum sewer systems installed after the earthquakes – but they were built with little room for growth. Council acting head of planning and consents Mark Stevenson said the systems also relied on an air-to-water ratio – meaning they failed if too much stormwater got in. “To accommodate further demand in the future, it would require the whole system to be upgraded simultaneously at a PHOTO: GETTY significant cost. It’s not a system like other parts of the city where we can dig up a pipe and just replace it,” he said. Replacing the systems was estimated to cost up to $240 million, the city council said. It usually set aside less than $50m for the entire wastewater network over 10 years. Mayor Phil Mauger was keen to ditch the vacuum systems. “I don’t like it, because I’ve laid lots of pipes, I can tell you what it’s like. We should go to a system that we are using out in Halswell, which is little pump stations for every house, which works extremely well,” he said. The individual pumps took the pressure off the wastewater system at peak Phil Mauger times, Mauger said. “They’re all hooked up to a main computer here in town. We can say ‘right, our sewers are at capacity from six until nine at night because everyone’s having a shower’. We can press a button and turn all those pumps off, because they’ve got a wee tank that can hold the stuff, then we can turn them all on at three o’clock in the morning and it makes our pipes a lot more usable throughout the day,” he said. No other suburbs were at risk of hitting their sewer capacity, and the council was only approving new housing where the infrastructure could support it, Stevenson said. At this stage, that meant building more around main public transport routes, and in areas with easy accessibility to services. Ngāi Tahu Property had just applied to build 55 residential homes on the site of the former Aranui Primary School – in a wastewater capacity area. It declined RNZ’s interview request, but confirmed the application had been lodged and said it would await the city council’s assessment. RNZ had viewed its application, which stated it was aware the area’s sewage system was full. According to the plans, each house would have its own independent pump unit, like those in Halswell. It was unclear where the latest central government housing announcement would leave the city, Mauger said. “Staff will now need to work through the implications of the announcement and brief us so we get a full picture. Fortunately we have over 30 years’ worth of expected demand covered in our existing zoning, and this will only increase through our National Policy Statement-Urban Development proposals in PC14,” he said. The city council will vote on some of the Government’s proposed housing intensification changes on September 4. –RNZ Keeping your trees pruned and clear of lines helps us keep the power on for our community Vegetation falling on lines is one of the leading causes of power outages on our network. Visit oriongroup.co.nz/trees for tree regulations, advice and to find out about your responsibilities as a property owner. We recommend using trained professionals and if you have any questions, call us anytime on 0800 363 9898. We’re here to help.
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The Star: July 11, 2024

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