Council requests longer submission period for Ocean Outfall

To give people more time to consider the resource consents application to build the Ocean Outfall, the Christchurch City Council has sought a longer submission period after lodging its resource consents application with the Canterbury Regional Council (ECan) on Friday, 17 December.

The Resource Management Act requires that at least 20 working days be allowed for submissions to be lodged after the public notification of a resource consents application by ECan. The Council, however, asked that this period be extended to 40 days for the Ocean Outfall to give the public more time to review and understand the information. Council Implementation Team Leader for the Council City Water and Waste unit, John Moore, says the Council wants to give people enough time to consider the documents on the Ocean Outfall given the scale of the project. Assuming that notification is issued publicly on 24 January, 2005, submissions would be accepted thereafter.

Unless there are requests for further information, The resource consent hearing should commence early in May, Mr Moore says.

A major part of the Council resource consents application to build the Ocean Outfall is the Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) report by consultants to Council, URS. This report details the likely effects that building the outfall will have on the environment.

The full AEE is available on the www.ccc.govt.nz/haveyoursay/oceanoutfall/ City Council website without the technical reports. You can, however, view a hard copy of the AEE and technical reports at any City Council library or service centre. You can also buy a copy of the AEE for $35 each, and a collective copy of all the technical reports for $80 each from Jo-Anne Dawes, ph 941 8371 or email her at jo-anne.dawes@ccc.govt.nz

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