TCDC reclamation and landfill consents granted

Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC) has been granted a range of consents to reclaim land so as to protect Thames from coastal flooding, and to help rehabilitate an old landfill site.

The decisions on the consent applications were announced today by a Waikato Regional Council Restricted Coastal Activity Committee, which included the Minister of Conservation’s appointee.

TCDC is planning to reclaim an area 180 metres long by 10 metres wide, along the coastal boundary of the Thames Croquet Club, to protect the township from waves and storm surge.

The committee said there was agreement amongst experts that the environmental effects of the reclamation would be minor, and it granted the consent applications for this project subject to a number of conditions including the protection of tangata whenua interests.

The committee also agreed to a second group of consent applications related to the rehabilitation and management of the old Thames landfill, subject to a number of conditions including the monitoring of gas discharges from the site and protection of tangata whenua interests.

TCDC is planning to reclaim about 9000 square metres of land from the coastal marine area to create a beach to protect the landfill from coastal erosion.

The committee noted the old landfill site was currently unsightly and of little benefit to the community, and that the rehabilitation would improve the area’s amenity, recreation and landscape values.