As a submitter on the resource consent application for the East Coast Bays Wastewater Discharge (Taipa Wastewater Treatment Plant) the Far North Environment Centre has received a letter from Northland Regional Council (below) detailing the outcome of request by the applicant (Far North District Council) for an extension of timeframe.
The Environment Centre will be following up on this process with the Far North District Council, and will be calling for robust hapu and community consultation.
Letter from Northland Regional Council dated 03 December 2010:
Dear Sir or Madam
RESOURCE CONSENT APPLICATION CON20080400701 – EAST COAST BAYS WASTEWATER DISCHARGE – OUTCOME OF REQUEST OF EXTENSION OF TIMEFRAME
This letter is to provide you with an update of the above resource consent application to which you lodged a submission. The applicant has requested an extension of time to investigate land discharge options for the treated wastewater. This request was considered by the Hearings Committee (made up of Mrs Lorraine Hill (Chair) and Mr Hamish Lowe).
The Committee has agreed to the extension of time for a hearing to be held (to 3 June 2011). However, the Committee has issued a direction, pursuant to section 41C(3) of the Resource Management Act 1991 (‘the Act’), that a detailed report be prepared which clearly explains what matters are to be progressed and a timeline of proposed events. The Committee has directed that this report must be submitted to the Council no later than Monday 20 December 2010. In addition, in order for a hearing to be organised by 3 June 2011 the Committee has directed that the final information be provided to the Council by 15 April 2011. This allows time for the additional information to be circulated to submitters if required prior to a 3 June 2011 hearing. To ensure this target date is met, the Committee has also directed that progress reports be prepared and submitted to the Council on 1 February 2011 and 15 March 2011. The extension period requested by the applicant is a worst case scenario and matters may be able to be resolved (including resolving that land discharge is not a viable alternative) earlier than this. If this is the case you will be advised and a earlier hearing date will then be scheduled.
The Committee also notes that if an outcome of the investigations is that land discharge is a viable alternative, then new consents would need to be applied for. If this were the case then further extensions may need to be requested by the applicant for the current application to enable both sets of applications to be considered together.
In extending the timeframes mentioned in this letter, the Committee has taken into account the matters outlined in section 37A(1) of the Act. If you have any queries on this matter, please contact Mr Stuart Savill at our Whangarei office.
Yours faithfully
Rob Lieffering
Consents Senior Programme Manager
Northland Regional Council
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