Land Purchase For Pahiatua Transfer Station

Tararua councillors have approved a recommendation to buy land for a transfer station at Pahiatua but not without some debate.

The landfill was due to close in November 2010 but its location combined with the quantity of refuse which would prohibit building construction made the site unsuitable for a transfer station, manager district assets Stephen Taylor explained.

Instead he recommended that the council purchase an 8,408 square metres section in the Queen St/Tudor Rd area that had just become available for sale.

The partly elevated site was is in three separate titles in the industrial zone and would be “ideal” for the construction of a refuse transfer station with entry off Tudor St and exit onto Queen St, Mr Taylor said.

However despite the land being zoned industrial the council still required a resource consent because the transfer station was not a permitted activity in the District Plan.

This became an issue for some councillors who argued that the council was putting the cart before the horse by purchasing the land without certainty that a resource consent would be granted.

Cr. Davidson asked that his vote be recorded against the motion.