Residents push for stricter conditions on proposed equine centre
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A proposed $200m equine stud and equestrian training centre at Lake Hood in Canterbury looks poised to get the green light - with several conditions.
Southern Parallel Equine Centre Limited (SPEC) faced a hearing with independent commissioner David Taylor this week in a bid to gain consent for the project from the Ashburton District Council.
Submitters raised concerns about future development of the site, and the impacts of its activities on neighbouring properties.
At the end of the hearing, discussion focused on what conditions to impose on the consent, suggesting it was likely to get approved.
The development has already received consent approval from Environment Canterbury.
The applicants presented an updated list of consent conditions and submitters made some suggested amendments of their own for Taylor to consider.
Some conditions relating to traffic, odour, and noise will likely be reviewable.
In a submission against the proposal, John Skevington and Jo Ruane wanted stricter and clearer conditions imposed.
In their submission, the pair detailed how they had been in a land deal with the developers that had fallen through. They had concerns about the new proposal impacting their subdivision and other properties at Lake Hood.
Their submissions also raised concerns about the future redevelopment of the site by the applicant.
However, commissioner Taylor said any potential future development was “irrelevant to the application”.
Tim Read presented his family's submission raising concerns about the use of productive farmland and rural amenity value as the proposal “reads like an A&P show”.
He wanted conditions to be robust to clearly identify and define what could happen on the site.
Project director Catherine Stuart compared the plans to establishing something like Karaka, the home of the annual racehorse yearling sales, but for sport horses.
Stuart said only a small number of staff would be accommodated on-site.
“It’s an equine stud. Not a caravan park.”
The development is for the breeding and training of horses for sale - not a public access equestrian centre.
The plans are for between 20-40 staff to be on site, with up to eight living on-site, and around 100 horses in residence.
Other visitors will be by appointment only.
The proposal is for 25 event days allowed each year to cater for an annual sale event – with around 500 prospective buyers and up to 600 horses present, smaller sales events, and competition training days.
The management and removal of manure was also a focal point, with plans to remove it from the site daily.
A notable factor was the developer's plan to fully fund the connecting of the property to the town water supply and wastewater network.
Skevington questioned how a farming operation qualified for connection, something Taylor said was between the applicant and the council.
In its evidence, SPEC stated the water would not be for irrigation, as the site has access to existing consents used to irrigate, but will remove the pivot irrigation which is not suitable for horses.
ECan has consented to the use of a BioGill wastewater treatment system – which has three phases of treatment before passing through an ultra violet light system on its way to storage tanks where it is then pumped into drip irrigation.
Taylor adjourned the hearing to allow the applicants to prepare a right of reply before he could close it. He would then have 20 working days to make a decision.
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Ashburton’s second bridge cost bumped up
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The cost to build Ashburton’s second bridge has leapt to $130 million as questions remain on how it will be funded.
The council has kept its contribution at $7.5m, despite the estimated price jumping by 15% in two years.
Ashburton Council chief executive Hamish Riach provided councillors with an update on the second bridge after he recently met with Minister of Transport Simeon Brown.
The Government has made the bridge, a key State Highway 1 route in Canterbury, a national transport priority.
Minister Brown made it clear that the council would need to look for funding in the National Land Transport programme process, Riach said.
That will start with conversations between the council and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi around “innovative funding mechanisms”.
After meeting, Riach and Mayor Neil Brown reached out to NZTA regional relationships director James Caygill about “actively getting on with those conversations with their funding people”.
The National Land Transport programme is an investment package for priority transport projects.
For a project to be included in the National Land Transport Programme it has to feature in a council’s long-term plan, Riach said.
The council has chosen to keep the $7.5m figure in its budget planning, even though the cost of the project has increased.
The business case prepared in 2022 estimated the project – a 360m-long bridge across the Ashburton/Hakatere River and new road infrastructure - would cost $113m.
An NZTA document prepared in November estimated the project will cost between $100-$200m.
A recent report from Infometrics, commissioned by Local Government New Zealand, found that over the last three years, costs have gone up significantly and bridges are 38% more expensive to build.
“We note the bridge is programmed to cost $130m and our share, at $7.5m, may or may not survive the whole funding process.
“A lot is going on in this space that is incredibly uncertain.”
The council will adopt its LTP in June – including the $7.5m figure – before knowing what the NLTP entails, Riach said.
“It makes for a messy picture for this project in our formal plans and budgets.”
The minister acknowledged the need for the bridge - easing congestion and improving safety on SH1 - and as a result, the subsidy rate “needed to reflect the improvement to the state highway network”, Riach said.
“We took from that, that a subsidy rate ahead of our normal FAR (funding assistance rate) was entirely justified.”
Rather than a 51% FAR subsidy the business case suggested a 62%, but the question remains how to fill the gap between 62% and 100%, Riach said.
Mayor Brown said the minister also spoke of the Government looking at different ways of funding roading going forward.
This included the possibility of road tolls, Riach said.
“He reiterated that it is certainly his intention to review the way in which tolling is a mechanism for funding projects a little bit later in the year.”
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No tolls without law change
Under legislation, tolls can only be placed on state highways, not on a local road, which is what the second bridge is considered to be.
It also prevents an NZTA toll from raising funds for a council project – so a toll on the existing SH1 bridge couldn’t be used to fund the new local road bridge.
A legislative change could see the possibility of introducing a toll on the existing SH1 Ashburton/Hakatere Bridge or on the second bridge to pay for the project.
There are currently only three toll roads in New Zealand – the Northern Gateway Toll Road north of Auckland, the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road, and the Takitimu Drive Toll Road, both in Tauranga.
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