District Plan Changes

Rodney District Council has resolved to made a change to its District Plan operative which establishes a Special Thermal Energy Generation Zone that provides for and manages the possible development of a gas fired power station at a site between Helensville and Kaukapakapa on State Highway 16 at its final Council meeting for 2009.

The changes follow the resolution of outstanding appeals to Environment Court relating to the Plan Change and to resource consent applications related to Genesis Energy’s application to develop a gas fired power station in Rodney.

The Court has issued a consent order agreed to by the parties to the appeals that upholds the decision of independent commissioners representing Rodney District Council to allow the plan change and enable the development of a power station. The consent order made some minor amendments to this decision which clarify a number of the rules in the new special zone.

The Auckland Regional Council and the appellants also resolved appeals relating to water take and discharge consents, earthworks consents and stormwater, air and land discharge consents. The Environment Court consent order confirmed alterations to a number of consent conditions which have been agreed to by these parties.

Genesis submitted a Private Plan Change application to Rodney District Council in 2007 seeking to introduce a new zone, the Rodney District Thermal Energy Generation Rural Zone, which would allow for and control the development and operation of a Power Station within an identified special zone area and applied for resources consents from Rodney District Council and the ARC.

Rodney District Council delegated the hearing of submissions, and the decision on the Plan Change application and associated resource consent applications to independent commissioners.

A combined hearing was held by the Auckland Regional Council and the commissioners acting on behalf of Rodney District for the resource consent and the plan change applications submitted by Genesis Energy in September and October 2008.

The approved special zone requires that Genesis Energy submit further detailed plans covering issues such as building designs, noise and traffic management to Rodney District Council for approval before the construction of a power station could commence.

The changes to the Council’s District Plan will be publicly notified in January 2010.

While the Plan Change and associated resource consents are now in place, Genesis Energy has not indicated that it intends to begin construction of the station in the near future.

ENDS

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