Ashburton Courier: July 11, 2024

52 Ashburton
NEWS/CLASSIFIEDS
Courier, July 11, 2024
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Wetlandcommon sense view sought
BYDAVID HILL
Local democracy reporter
Relaxing rules around
developingwetlands is
‘‘commonsense’’, Federated
Farmers says.
EnvironmentCanterburyis
considering how to simplify
rules around developing
‘‘constructive wetlands’’ and
exploring what it means to
remove some of the
intensification restrictions.
The proposals are being
considered as part of aplan
change to the Canterbury Land
and Water Regional Plan.
It follows aSupreme Court
ruling on aChristchurch water
bottling plant last year, which
ruled that the ‘take’ and ‘use’ of
water needed to be considered
together.
Federated Farmers North
Canterbury president Karl
Dean said he was pleasedto
hear there was ‘‘a bit of
common sense’’.
‘‘If afarmer wants to create a
wetlandtoimprove
environmental outcomes they
shouldn’t need aresource
consent.
‘‘If they are using awellversed
template why should it
incur huge costs, if it is
improving the environment?’’
He said farmers should be
able to follow the ‘‘best
economic outcomes’’ without
having to apply for alanduse
consent.
WETLAND: Environment Canterbury is exploring how to make it easier for farmers to develop
‘‘constructive wetlands’’.
PHOTO ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY
‘‘You should be able to
convert from sheep to dairy, if
that is wherethe besteconomic
returns are, as long as you can
demonstrate it is not going to
adversely impactonthe
environment.’’
Infrastructureprojects in
Waimakariri and Christchurch
havebeen stalled because of
unintendedconsequences
caused by changestolocal
water regulations and the
Supreme Court ruling in
November.
The ruling affected consents
under the Canterbury Landand
Water RegionalPlan.
It meant, in the short term,
there was no mechanism to
issue new consents for the
ongoingtake of groundwater by
stormwater basins, if the
aquifer is fully or overallocated.
The planning rules had
caused disruption for the
Waimakariri District Council
and Christchurch City Council,
which had been unable to
obtain stormwater consents.
It had also impacted
consenting for new subdivisions
and roading.
Speaking at an Environment
Canterbury council meeting on
June 19, regional planning
Andrew Parrish said
councillors would be briefed on
the ‘‘take and use change’’ on
July 3, before wider
engagement with interested
parties in September.
He said the council was
considering how to relax rules
around developing
‘‘constructive wetlands’’and
intensification restrictions.
‘‘What we have been looking
at is making sure we have the
right ingredients in place for
farmers to be able to develop
wetlands.’’
Councillors had discussed
the possibility of reviewing the
‘‘take and use’’ rules alongside
the wider planning process
review, during last month’s
Long Term Plan deliberations.
Parrish said this could save
up to $500,000, ‘‘but the
consequence would be delaying
this work.’’
Councillor Peter Scott said
the existing rules also
restricted the types of plants
which could be planted around
water ways and he would like it
reviewed.
LDR is local body journalism cofunded
by RNZ and NZ On Air.
National direction need for new solar farms
BY DAVID HILL
Local democracy reporter
Canterbury councils are calling for
national direction on how to address the
expansion of solar farms in the region.
The Waimakariri District Council has
added its voice to acall from
Environment Canterbury for advice on
how to address issues arising from a
growing number of consent applications
for large scale solar farms.
‘‘Solar farms have recently been of
interest in the district,’’ planning,
regulation and environmentgeneral
manager Kelly LaValley said.
‘‘We agree that further national
direction on solar farms would be
beneficial in considering applications
for large scale solar farms.’’
Her comments followed ECan’s bid to
seek advice on aproposed 670 hectare
solar near Twizel. The Waimakariri
council has three solar farm resource
consent applications of its own to
consider.
The regional council recently
supported an Environment Protection
Authority (EPA) proposal to askthe
Environment Minister to ‘call in’ the
consent application.
The minister can be asked to ‘callin’
the decision making process for resource
FAST TRACK: Environment Canterbury councillors concerned local input, decisionmaking
could be lost with the new Fast­track Approvals Bill.
PHOTO DAVID HILL
consents when it is considered ‘‘a
proposal of national significance’’.
The consent application can then be
referred to the Environment Court or a
board of enquiry to make the decision.
Acting chairperson Craig Pauling said
the decision on the consent could set a
precedent for how such consents are
considered in the future.
‘‘I think solar power is agood thing, but
some of the effects are still unknown, like
what happens when you have alargescale
solar arraynext to alake? There
are concerns about whetherbirds will be
able to tell the difference, and the
answeriswedon’t know.’’
Pauling said any feedback would feed
into aCanterbury regional energy policy.
Speaking at acouncil meeting on last
month operations director Stephen Hall
said the EPA had since sentaletter
advising the minister to wait for the Fasttrack
Approvals Bill tocome into effect.
Far North Solar Farm Ltd has applied
to the regional council and to the
Mackenzie District Council for resource
consents to establish andoperate alargescale,
670ha, solar farm on a968ha
property.
The applications were publicly
notified and submissions have closed.
Ahearing has yet to be scheduled,
pending the outcome of the ‘call in’
request.
At its peak, the proposed solar farm
would generate 420 megawatts of
electricity, which was around four
percent of New Zealand’s of total
electricity generation capacity in 2022.
Far NorthSolar Farm Ltd has also
applied to ECan and the Hurunui
District Council for resource consents to
build a180.8ha solar farm near Waipara.
Hall said the council’s advice was the
consent application had ‘‘national
significance’’ as there was aneed for
national direction around large­scale
solar farms and the protection of ‘‘very
unique landscape’’.
The Hurunui District Council said it
was unable to comment due to its consent
process.
LDR is local body journalism co­funded
by RNZ and NZ On Air.