Residents fight landfills

Blackbridge Rd residents have started a society to protest the landfills. Photo / Greg Bowker

A group of residents on a quiet rural road in Auckland have banded together to try to stop two new commercial landfills opening.

They fear Blackbridge Rd in Dairy Flat will be swarmed by heavy trucks and with blind corners, a single-lane bridge, no footpaths or street lighting, cyclists, children and horse riders who use the road will be at risk.

Dirtworks Trust has put in an application to start a landfill site at No 348 and adjoining 362 Blackbridge Rd, which it is renting off the owner, for one year. Norsho Bulc has applied to operate a landfill at its site - which it owns - adjacent to 294 Blackbridge Rd, for 10 years.

The new Blackbridge Environmental Protection Society is trying to raise $100,000 to pay for experts to fight the applications. Society secretary Tanya Syme said it planned to meet on Tuesday to discuss strategies to halt the plans.

"Hundreds of heavy truck movements will be made along my quiet country road which has no footpaths, no street lighting, a single-lane bridge and blind corners," she said.

"The trucks will be on Blackbridge Rd six days a week and we fear the effects on cyclists, children and horse riders who use our road to get to the Riverhead Forest and [take] riding lessons on properties along here.".

The fill is to be a mixture of contaminated and non-contaminated waste, Mrs Syme said.

Dirtworks' application is to be heard by independent planning commissioners on Tuesday and Norsho's Bulc could be heard in late March, Mrs Symes said.

Norsho Bulc emphasised the demand in Auckland for landfills in its proposal.

"It is estimated that for every new residential dwelling that is constructed, approximately 25cu m [solid] of material is excavated which has to be removed off-site," a report said.

"In addition to the residential construction there are commercial and civil engineering operations, road improvements being completed where surplus fill material is required to be removed off-site."

A council report on the Dirtworks application said the adverse effects would be no more than minor.

"Effects associated with noise, dust, vibration, duration of works, traffic safety, the ability of Blackbridge Rd to accommodate the additional traffic movements, amenity values, visual landscape, erosion and sediment control, significant natural areas, natural hazards, discharge of contaminants, quality and mauri of water and cumulative effects have been assessed and the applicant has proposed measures to ensure the effects on the environment resulting from the activity will be avoided, remedied or mitigated."

When asked about the society's concerns, the Auckland Council referred the Herald to the applications from the landfill businesses.