Gravel quarry processes and the role of public participation : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Planning at Lincoln University

Abstract

There are three main clusters of quarries in the Christchurch City area: Templeton, Yaldhurst and McLeans Island. The urban nature of the city means that these clusters sit close to rural residential communities. Quarrying has significant impacts on communities, and a rehabilitated quarry remains a part of the community after the quarry company has moved on. However, currently there are limited opportunities for public participation in the quarry and rehabilitation consent process. This research aimed to provide insight into the current quarrying and rehabilitation planning process in Christchurch and to suggest opportunities to enhance public participation in this process. In this research, I utilised a document analysis approach as the research method. The quarry policies of the Christchurch District Plan were reviewed alongside the Resource Management Act 1991 and two Quarry Site Rehabilitation Plans. These documents were used to map out the resource consent process and the private plan change process, as well as provide case studies on the Templeton, Yaldhurst, and McLeans Island quarry areas. In both the resource consent process and the private plan change process, the opportunity for public participation is at the very end of the process, after the plans for the quarry activity has been finalised. Additionally, the proximity of the quarries to rural residential properties and the resulting exposure risk to crystalline silica dust creates a health risk. This risk has led to ongoing community conflict with the quarry companies. In regard to rehabilitation, there is no public participation in the formation of the quarry site rehabilitation plans, which fail to specify post-quarry land uses. In this research, I recommended involving the community at the early stages of the planning process to enable community input on issues of community significance, such as setbacks and rehabilitation planning. This research highlights the need for more public participation in quarry and rehabilitation planning processes despite the possible challenges.