Earthquake rubble will continue to be dumped at the Burwood Resource Recovery Park.

Resource consent for the processing and mechanical sorting of demolition material from the February 2011 earthquake until 2017 was granted yesterday.

An acoustic fence will be built and Landfill Ave will be realigned as conditions of the consent.

The park has received about 350,000 tonnes of building rubble so far, with another 150,000 tonnes of demolition waste expected.

Commissioner Ken Lawn said the most significant issue at the park was the effect on residents of heavy vehicles travelling along the first part of Landfill Ave, where it adjoins residential properties.

"I reached the conclusion that utilising the existing roading alignment produced effects, mainly noise and dust, on those residents that were unacceptable for an extended period of time [up to five years]," he said.

"The applicant has agreed to a number of measures to remedy those effects. These include shifting the Landfill Ave formation, the construction of an acoustic barrier, and other conditions on the maintenance of the road and the movement and conditions of the heavy vehicles using the road." 

The park was set up at Bottle Lake Forest after the February 2011 earthquake to store demolition material, mainly from the central city.

The decision was made using special powers granted under the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act, bypassing the normal resource consent process.

Christchurch City Council water and waste manager Mark Christison said it had been a "trying time" for neighbours of the park.

"We know a considerable effort is needed to reduce the park's effects on the local communities and we will work hard to implement these mitigation measures as quickly as we can."

He said the consent and conditions balanced the essential role the park played in Christchurch’s recovery with the disruption caused to residents.

"Christchurch has an unprecedented amount of construction and demolition waste to deal with following the earthquakes, and our wastewater system could not keep going without somewhere to deposit the sand from broken pipes," he said.

Residents and the site operator will be given the opportunity to establish a community liaison group.

The group will discuss community and cultural concerns, develop additional mitigation measures as required and discuss complaints and monitoring of the site.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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