“Disregard to resource consents costs $104,000”

Friday June 30, 2000

Westgate Properties Limited, WGS Construction Limited and Cato Consultants Limited were today fined and ordered to pay a combined total of more than $100,000 by the Auckland District Court for serious disregard for environmental controls and lack of compliance with resource consents during the development of the Westgate shopping complex.

Judge Whiting said that all three companies played significant roles in this project and none proactively sought to ensure that the site (and its contractors) complied with the resource consents and abatement notices issued by the Auckland Regional Council.

The companies pleaded guilty to the lack of erosion and sediment control measures required by the resource consent; discharging sediment into the Manu Te Whau stream and ultimately the Upper Waitemata Harbour over a considerable period; and non compliance of two abatement notices.

Auckland Regional Council Senior Soil Conservator, Ross Winter, said that the companies involved in this project focused on completing this project and the associated commercial gain at the expense of the environment.

“The ARC issues resource consents subject to conditions that have been devised to protect the water quality of streams, estuaries and coastal waters. In this case, work that should have been better controlled on the site was given very low or no priority.”

Mr Winter said that the magnitude of the project, and thus the effects of non-compliance, were reflected in the scale of fines and costs issued by the Court.

The fines, courts costs and costs of the Council in taking this prosecution were awarded against all three parties.

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For further information please call:
Ross Winter, Senior Soil Conservator, Auckland Regional Council, Tel. 366 2000 extn 8489
Or
Megan Perry, Communications, Auckland Regional Council, Tel. 366 2000 extn 7135

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