Public shut out from having a say on proposed West Coast mining operation
Thursday, 20 May 2021
The public will not get a say on a proposed sand mine that will increase truck traffic on a stunning coastal drive.
Barrytown locals have called for the West Coast Regional Council and the Grey District Council to allow public consultation on a proposal to mine 5000 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate from 115 hectares of private farmland every week. The land is on the Coast Road tourist drive (State Highway 6), between Greymouth and Punakaiki.
The plan includes up to four truck movements an hour – up to 200 trucks a week – through Punakaiki, the village famous for its unique limestone pancake rocks.
The councils wrote to interested parties saying they had decided to process the applications with limited notification.
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That meant only people deemed by the councils as “affected parties” would be invited to make submissions.
Barrytown JV Ltd, which is mostly Australian-owned, wants to mine minerals including gold, garnet and titanium and truck them to Westport for export. The land that could be mined borders the Paparoa National Park, the Tasman Sea and the Coast Road, which had been named by Lonely Planet as one of the top 10 coastal drives in the world.
The councils’ letter says the reason for the limited notification was that the proposal would not affect the environment.
“The effects of the proposed activity are potentially more than minor. However, these effects will not be on the ‘environment’ but on specific parties. Therefore, the application need not be publicly notified,” it says.
The Grey District Council identified 12 parties deemed to be affected and the regional council identified five, including adjoining landowners, Fish & Game, the Department of Conservation and Ngāti Waewae.
The affected parties had 20 days to make submissions and a hearing would be held within 45 working days. A decision would be issued within 15 days of the hearing.
Sophie Allan, from Golden Sands Horse and Wagon Tours, which operates on Barrytown Beach, said she wanted the council to consider the community’s views.
“The community feels frustrated and angry … this proposal may well affect all of the visitors and their decisions to come here, stay here and help our local economy,” she said.
Grey District councillor Peter Haddock owns a small shareholding in Barrytown JV Ltd.
He said councillors had nothing to do with the decision-making process regarding notification or the final approval.
“As a shareholder I think the project will be good for the local economy and I believe it’s a good resource and we need industry and jobs on the Coast.
“As long as the company abides by the conditions and the rules of the district plan, mining is a permitted activity in rural areas,” he said.
The Grey District Council notification assessment says noise from the proposed mine would exceed the permitted noise levels for the district, particularly at nighttime.
The mine would increase traffic by four truck and trailer movements and 45 car movements per hour at peak times.
There had been a great deal of community interest in the application, the council assessment says.
“Council has been inundated with inquiries and direction from parties identifying themselves as ‘affected’. Just because some people and organisations may have an interest in a proposal, does not mean they may be affected,” it says.
The application says material would be processed at the site 24 hours a day and the mine would create up to 80 jobs and pay $1 million in tax a year.