The fate of the Rena wreck on Astrolabe Reef is heading to the Environment Court after the Bay of Plenty Regional Council granted the ship's owners application to leave the wreck in place.

The regional council this morning released its S87F report on the application, outlining the granting of the request and referral to the Environment Court.

The Rena broke in two in January 2012. Photo: File.

The report is prepared under Section S87F of the Resource Management Act.

Once the applicant receives the council's report it must decide whether to proceed with its direct referral request. If it does proceed, the Environment Court will become the decision-maker on this application.

The council, as the consent authority, is required to provide reasonable assistance to the court throughout the process.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chief executive Mary-Anne Macleod says in addition to the 151 submissions, the council has prepared its own technical report analysing the application and its supporting material.

Mary-Anne says: 'The report concludes that the damage already caused by the grounding, coupled with the difficulty and high health and safety risks of full wreck removal essentially restricts the options available.”

She adds the council's S87F report recommends that, provided key issues can be adequately addressed through the consent process, including consideration of cultural concerns, the application should be granted.

A number of conditions have also been recommended for the Environment Court to consider if the consent is granted.

These include the applicant clearing debris, removing remaining sections of the bow, working to remove copper, conducting underwater surveys, establishing a Kaitiaki Reference Group and a Technical Advisory Group and preparing a monitoring plan as well as working closely with Maori.

Mary-Anne acknowledges the report's conclusion that while full removal of the wreck from the reef was ‘technically possible', it was not feasible given risks involved.

There was also likely to be extensive further damage to the structure and ecology of the reef from on-going salvage, and further discharge of contaminants. These issues will be discussed at a future council meeting.

She says some key concerns with the proposal needed to be further considered through the consent process. These include potential long-term adverse effects of copper on the local environment and the reef ecology.

The council report includes a detailed analysis of information provided by the applicant, additional technical information that the council commissioned from independent advisors and a review and summary of submissions. For a full copy of the report click here.

The former containership struck the reef on October 5, 2011, subsequently breaking up and spilling fuel oil and cargo into the Bay of Plenty.

Much of it washed ashore on local beaches in what became the region's largest environmental disaster.