Rebuild and recovery of the Port of Lyttelton closer

Environment Canterbury commissioners have approved the preliminary draft Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan to be released for public consultation.

At a special council meeting on April 2, the commissioners signed off the preliminary draft to go out for public consultation from April 13 to May 11.

Commissioner Peter Skelton said the preliminary draft considers the need for an expedited recovery of the earthquake-damaged Lyttelton Port alongside the wider recovery needs of the community, and the ongoing health of the harbour.

Professor Skelton said the Port, which is the country’s second largest for exports, was a significant strategic asset for the region; it enabled the movement of goods vital for the efficiency and growth of Canterbury’s economy, but it suffered major damage in the Canterbury earthquakes.

The current Regional Coastal Environment Plan provisions cannot deal efficiently with a recovery programme of this scale. Because of this, Environment Canterbury asked the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery, Hon. Gerry Brownlee, to consider the best approach to rebuilding the Port.

In June last year, the Minister directed the preparation of a Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan to enable the Port’s rebuild and recovery.

“Without this Plan, the rebuild of the Port would need around 100 resource consents,” Professor Skelton said. “This would have meant a slow and uncertain recovery process.”

“The preliminary draft sets out how the Port will recover from the earthquakes, and enables the Port to rebuild in a way that will better support the recovery of surrounding communities and wider Canterbury.”

Proposals in the Plan include providing a more streamlined and certain consenting process for an extra 27 hectares of reclaimed land at Te Awaparahi Bay for a new container terminal, ensuring better public access to the waterfront while limiting the redevelopment of Dampier Bay so it doesn’t compete with Lyttelton’s town centre, and providing for the repair or rebuild of the wharves in the Inner Harbour and at Cashin Quay without further resource consents being needed.

The preliminary draft will be open for public submissions from April 13 to May 11. A public hearing of submissions will be held commencing on June 2, where submitters can speak to their submission.

Professor Skelton emphasised that this was the public’s chance to get involved and tell Environment Canterbury what they thought about the preliminary draft Plan. He urged the community to get involved.

“We can only consider your feedback if you make a formal submission. This is your best chance to have an input into what’s in this Recovery Plan and how it affects the Port’s future.”

Professor Skelton highlighted the difference between this process and a standard Resource Management Act process.

“If you’re submitting, you must include any technical evidence with your submission. It can’t be introduced at the hearing.”

He also emphasised how the preliminary draft includes changes to the Christchurch City Council’s proposed Christchurch Replacement District Plan.

“Because decisions on the Lyttelton Port provisions of the District Plan will be made through the Recovery Plan, anyone who wants to have a say on those provisions must make a submission on the preliminary draft.”

Professor Skelton acknowledged the significant amount of work and resources that had gone into producing the preliminary draft in a relatively short timeframe.

Environment Canterbury developed the preliminary draft in consultation with Christchurch City Council, Selwyn and Waimakariri District Councils, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, New Zealand Transport Agency, Department of Conservation and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.

Copies of the preliminary draft Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan will be available at Environment Canterbury’s Christchurch, Timaru and Kaikoura offices, public libraries and at www.ecan.govt.nz/port from April 11.

What happens next?

The preliminary draft Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan will be available for public submissions from April 13 to May 11.

Submitters also have the opportunity to speak to their submissions at a public hearing scheduled to begin on June 2.

The hearing panel, made up of the Hon Sir Graham Panckhurst as chair, Peter Atkinson, and Tim Vial, will have read all of the submissions prior to the start of the hearing. The panel will make recommendations to Environment Canterbury, which will then make a final decision on the draft Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan before presenting it to the Minister by mid-August. The Minister intends to publicly notify the draft Plan, invite written comments from the public, and then make a decision whether to approve it or not.

Additional detail on what’s in the Plan

Reclamation

The Plan provides a more streamlined and certain consenting process for an extra 27 hectares of reclaimed land at Te Awaparahi Bay for a new container terminal. This is in addition to the 10 hectares that has already been consented and is under construction.

The reclamation would enable the Port to construct a new container terminal and to provide for larger ships. It will be a controlled activity under the Resource Management Act, with public notification.

Dampier Bay

A key community benefit in this Plan is improving public access to the waterfront at Dampier Bay.

Lyttelton Port Company is planning a redevelopment of Dampier Bay that includes a new marina offering up to 200 berths, improved public access to and along the waterfront, and some commercial activity. An agreement to provide better public access will be signed between ECan, LPC and the Christchurch City Council within three months of the Recovery Plan receiving Ministerial approval.

A legal mechanism to secure public waterfront access at Dampier Bay will be implemented by July 2021.

Inner Harbour

The repair, rebuild and demolition of wharf structures in the Inner Harbour and Cashin Quay will be permitted. Replacement of existing structures will also be permitted. This means resource consent is not required, provided LPC complies with the relevant rules. Structures needing repair or replacement include the oil berth, and No’s 2, 3 and 7 wharves.

Dredging

This Plan enables dredging to provide for larger ships, but the extent to which it does so depends on the location.

Traffic/Norwich Quay

This Plan includes a commitment from the New Zealand Transport Agency, Christchurch City Council, KiwiRail and LPC to work together to resolve transport issues in Lyttelton. Planning for what upgrades are needed and how they will be funded will be done by the end of 2016.

Ferry terminal

The ferry terminal will remain in its current position in the Inner Harbour for now. The Plan does make provision for it to be moved to Dampier Bay if required, but a move is not directed as part of the Plan. Wherever it is located in the future, LPC will need to gain resource consent for any shore-based facilities associated with a new ferry terminal, including any public transport interchange. However, consent will not be publicly notified.

Cruise ships

The decision on what cruise ship infrastructure will be provided as part of the Port’s recovery is a commercial decision for LPC to make. However, the Plan enables a cruise berth to be constructed as a controlled activity with public notification at the Naval Point location, or as a permitted activity in the Inner Harbour.
ENDS

© Scoop Media