Consent's slow pace defended

Hardened submitters believe something untoward is happening with a consent process that is taking an unusually long time at Shannon, but Horizons Regional Council says no dirty dealings are going on.

Christina Paton, Foxton Beach resident and submitter to the Shannon wastewater treatment plant consent hearing in April, said she was concerned there appeared to be discussions that other submitters were not privy to.

"If they are making deals then they need to come back to the consent hearing table and do it there."

But Horizons' consents manager Phillip Hindrup said everything was above board and the delay meant the hearing commissioners were doing a thorough job.

"There's a lot of information to get through and I know they want to get the decision right as no-one wants an appeal."

Mr Hindrup said he understood it might look as though it was taking a long time, but it was not unusual for consent processes to be protracted.

"I've seen longer ones. But this consent has been a long time coming and so if it takes a couple more months to get the right decision then it's worth it."

Horowhenua District Council's Shannon consent ran out in 2001 and the council is asking to continue discharging wastewater into Stansell's Drain, which flows into the Mangaore Stream.

Submitters have been pushing the district council to look to a land-based discharge rather than a discharge to water, and have wanted the four-year time frames the council has been asking for reduced to two years.

- © Fairfax NZ News