Tauranga City Council is considering using emergency powers under the Resource Management Act to consent a container handling area at the Harrison's Cut reserve.
Harrison's Cut reserve is already fenced off; the Tauranga City Council is now deciding whether to allow salvors to use it this summer for container clearance.
Braemar Howells, the company tasked with salvaging the containers from Rena, the container ship grounded on the Astrolabe Reef, wants to use the Harrison's Cut reserve as the place to haul sunken containers to, and remove their contents.
Since October 12, 19 of the containers which fell off the ship have been recovered, 13 others have been located, but not yet recovered, and a further 56 remain unaccounted for.
The containers that can be lifted off the Rena by Braemar will be taken by barge to Sulphur Point.
Harrison's Cut is intended for the salvage of the sunken containers and its use by Braemar would close it off to the public.
The plan is to raise the containers and float them to the beach near the cut where they can be hauled out and removed.
Forty foot containers with cargo and sea water can weigh more than 70 tonnes, making them dangerous to lift by crane.
Once onshore, processing the containers on site is needed in order to minimise the risk of the container and/or its contents contaminating the environment either at that location or en route to the transfer station.
Braemar requires a location near the foreshore to which submerged, floating and washed-up containers can be dragged, emptied and dismantled and the contents trucked out to be dealt with appropriately at another location.
The Harrison's Cut Reserve was initially used as a staging post for the marine oil spill response.
Braemar has recently undertaken some works on the site preparing it for the proposed container operation.
These include erecting perimeter fences, removing speed humps and wooden dividers from the car park area, installing sediment control fencing and bunding around the site, extending and strengthening work on the boat ramp including the use of GAP 25 metal and geotech matting, and installing interceptors into the stormwater grates.
The initial works as part of the marine oil spill response and the subsequent works on the site have all been undertaken as part of the emergency response and after discussions with council staff.
These works started at a time when there was considered to be a high risk that additional containers would fall into the sea. The emergency approach was endorsed by Mayor Stuart Crosby and council chief executive Ken Paterson.
Use of Harrison's Cut is inconsistent with the Coastal Reserves Management Plan and the Reserves Act 1977.
As such, staff have no delegated authority to authorise such a use of a reserve.
Council has to pass a resolution endorsing Harrison's Cut as the appropriate location for the container operation to operate from.
10 comments
Deluded opposition.
Posted on 21-11-2011 12:20 | By wreck1080
To those opposed....do you think a storm is going to request resource consent before smashing containers across the beaches? I'm astounded they even need resource consent. Get over it, and get on with it.
Typical
Posted on 21-11-2011 12:50 | By Persephone
didn't take long for the NIMBY's to come out...
Get on with it
Posted on 21-11-2011 12:54 | By Muz061
No, I don't live in Papamoa but common sense dictates the use of Harrison's Cut for this operation. Our entire community have suffered some sacrifice through this terrible business but stage 2a of the cleanup has to move ahead with speed. The salvors are experts in their field and we have to trust them (and council) to do the best job in the circumstances and get it done ASAP. Maybe people are confusing the general salvage of containers from on the Rena with this staging post proposal. These containers will all be going to the Port.
PAID FOR MEETINGS MORE IMPORTANT
Posted on 21-11-2011 13:28 | By MISS ADVENTURE
Looks to me that it is more important that a raft of officicals be appointed to "THINK" about it rather than get on with it, just looks like the Rena effort, 200 odd bodies in an ex Supermarket building and 3-10 people actually out on the Rena doing the work. @ Wreck 1080, yes mate "Just get on with it!, it is obvious."
Posted on 21-11-2011 13:30 | By charob
totally agree with wreck1080. what his wrong with some people. by the time the council gets resorce consent there will be a storm and the containers will be washed up and smashed and make even more mess
Logical
Posted on 21-11-2011 13:30 | By tabatha
Harrison's Cut is in a short line from the Rena and if it was not used some other area would be selected and possibly a greater possibility of pollution to a wider area of beach and again closures. I do feel sorry for the people nearby but wherever they go some person/s are going to be upset. Please people let this happen because the sooner Rena is cleaned up the sooner life starts to return to normal for all people of Tauranga Area. Many businesses are now pleased beaches are open but many are still finding it a bit hard after the beach closures and sales of certain lines not happening. To date everything has gone a lot smoother than thought let it continue and hopefully no more major dramas occur.
Why are we waiting
Posted on 21-11-2011 14:20 | By jimmi
You have to ask, why was this not done 5 weeks or so ago?, we have been SO lucky thus far. And yep wreck1080 I agree, cut the bullsh**t, and get on with it!!!!
Is there an Iwi gravy chain....
Posted on 21-11-2011 16:35 | By Tony
Normally Id be expecting great huffing and puffing from the local Iwi...Seems to be business as usual to me
Go for it
Posted on 21-11-2011 20:58 | By tibs
It's not as if it's surrounded by housing, the neaest being across Papamoa Beach Rd. I don't think the site they'd work on would be visible from the road and perhaps not from the housing. At this stage it's only the 13 containers that they have "corralled". As they're all submerged, the smell factor is probably lower than that of food containers still aboard the Rena. I believe they have a barge at the wreck site specifically for the putrid containers. Having been submerged for a while, they're very heavy and would likely disintegrate in being lifted onto a barge. They haven't said what numbers they consider might need to come ashore via Harrison's Cut but i suspect a few will be lost at sea in trying to retrieve them from the Rena. I suspect it's one of those situations where they should be allowed to proceed and get it over with. Knowing the council, if the residents kick up too much, there'll be some form of council "punishment" at some time on the future.
crays
Posted on 22-11-2011 10:29 | By Mr bay
Once empty can we reset for another haul of Crays.....
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