A proposed goldmine about 500m from the historic town of Kumara will require affected party sign-off to gain the necessary consent, the West Coast Regional Council says.
Council said last week any decision on the application would be contingent on it first gaining affected party consent from those living closest to the mine. Photo: Wikipedia Creative Commons
Phoenix Minerals Ltd is seeking resource consent on a non-notified basis to mine up to 50ha on the south-western side of the township.
The application says the effect of the proposed mine would be "less than minor" as proposed setbacks from homes bordering the site and the distance from the township would mitigate the effects.
The proposed mine would operate until the end of 2029 in line with the expiry of the existing mining permit held by Phoenix over the area.
Council said last week any decision on the application would be contingent on it first gaining affected party consent from those living closest to the mine.
Consents and compliance manager Colin Helem said proceeding on a non-notified basis would depend on Phoenix getting the agreement of identified affected parties.
Notably, most applications for gold mining on the West Coast were for "quite rural areas" whereas the Phoenix one on the edge of a township was likely to raise some concern about noise, for example, Helem said.
If the company did not gain affected party sign off then it would have to decide if it wanted to proceed to a hearing.
"It the applicant wants to progress the matter and can't get affected party sign off, it proceeds to a hearing."
Phoenix Mining proprietors Chris and Donna Meates own a 79ha block of land which borders the main residential area of Kumara.
The land is bordered by Town Belt South, a paper road running parallel with Tui Street and behind the Catholic Church and the residential area. The western boundary is Greenstone Road, which has a mix of rural-residential properties.
The mining area consent being sought covers 50ha of the 79ha block.
Phoenix says it plans to mine only the south-western half of the block, towards the former dump site and below the Kumara Cemetery terrace to the south.
"The site is on the outskirts of Kumara with a few dwellings in close proximity. The nearest is approximately 200m away from the application area."
A mining processing plan would be located next to existing ponds and more than 350m from the nearest dwellings.
"The application only seeks to mine previously disturbed and modified areas," the application says.
Mining is proposed during daylight hours, Monday to Friday, and a half-day on Saturdays.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
