DCC rejects views on Saddle Hill

Dunedin (Friday, 21 November 2014) – The Dunedin City Council rejects the comments made by Saddle Views Estate Ltd director Calvin Fisher that the DCC has been running a vindictive campaign on quarrying rights on Saddle Hill.

DCC Chief Executive Officer Dr Sue Bidrose says Mr Fisher is wrong and his statement about the Council is offensive. Dr Bidrose was responding to comments made by Mr Fisher following the High Court decision around quarrying rights on Saddle Hill.

Negotiations between the DCC and Saddle Views Estate Ltd have been ongoing over the past three years.

Former chair of the Planning Hearings Committee Colin Weatherall says the DCC initiated court proceedings after an approach by a representative of Saddle Views Estate Ltd in 2011 who suggested that if the DCC wished to protect the landmark they would have to buy the quarry for a figure of upwards of $15 million.

“This followed on from significant mediation and attempts to find solutions where staff and mediation were transparent and open. Following the breakdown of mediation Council did not pursue the opportunity to purchase the quarry. In an attempt to be fair to both the ratepayers and the company, Council wanted to be sure of the value of the property and so decided to seek a legal ruling on the extent of the quarrying activity permitted on the site. Mr Fisher did not accept that proposal and insisted he had a resource consent and could prove his right to quarry the hill completely and that council should buy the hill based on this assertion.”

Dr Bidrose also rejects the accusations made by Saddle Views Estate Ltd director Calvin Fisher that there has been any disingenuous behaviour by anyone at the DCC.

“Saddle Views Estate Ltd has consistently claimed it has a consent that would allow it to destroy the ridgeline. They have, however, been unable to produce evidence of such a right. Far from running a vindictive campaign as claimed by Mr Fisher, the DCC has done everything possible to try and determine what the quarry owners’ legal rights were. Our consistent view has been that we wanted clarity around the quarrying rights in respect to Saddle Hill.

“Mr Fisher has said that if the DCC wants to protect the Saddle Hill landmark then the DCC will have to purchase the hill. In order to do so an agreed understanding of the quarrying rights needs to be established, because these affect the value of the property. Before the DCC can discuss purchasing the property there needs to be an agreed value to the property. We can’t have discussions with ratepayers to purchase the hill until we know a fair price for the land, and that is determined by knowing what the property rights of the land are. That is what we were asking the courts to determine.”

Dr Bidrose says, “The High Court has suggested they don’t have the right to quarry the hill to the ground. This is good news but unfortunately for the community, the DCC and the quarry owner are no closer to knowing what the limits on the quarrying activities are.”

At the moment an interim enforcement order remains in place preventing the ridgeline of the hill from being further damaged from quarrying. This will remain until lifted by the Courts.

ENDS

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