Residents 'punished' with Havelock North pump station

Havelock North residents Barry Jones and Di Vesty don't want to see another piece of green space in the village lost to make way for a pumping station. Photo/Warren Buckland

Nearby residents concerned about a water pump station proposed to be built on a vacant piece of land on Karanema Drive in Havelock North are holding a public meeting to draw attention to the possible development.

The council is building a new trunk main for a secondary water supply connection between Hastings and Havelock North, and needed the pump station to provide the pressure to get potable water to people living at higher points of the village.

After investigations of alternative sites the council chose the Karanema Rd site on a vacant block of council-owned land which backed onto Bennelong Place, based on engineering and environmental considerations.

While some residents on Bennelong Place were consulted, others on Te Mata Rd weren't and they had expressed fears about the noise and impact on surrounding property values, as well as the loss of a green space in the village.

Di Vesty lived on Bennelong Place and said the area in question had been planted with natives and other shrubs and trees and had become a haven for native birds.

"We've had a lot of greenery removed from Havelock North recently with various developments - what they are planning to do is turn this into an industrial area.

"In Havelock North we have already suffered through sickness, recovery and now facing ongoing chlorination of our water - now it feels like we are being punished again."

In an initial resource consent application the council had proposed the floor area of the pump station be about 160 square metres and it would stand about 7 metres high. It would include an electrical transformer, ventilation fans and an emergency generator.

Te Mata Rd resident Barry Jones said he wanted to bring the matter to the wider attention of Havelock North residents.

"The council spent millions upgrading the village green and it looks fantastic - it even won an award for being the country's most beautiful suburb - but five minutes later they are talking about cutting down a significant number of mature trees in the park opposite and putting in a large building that will have pumps going - it's disappointing."

Earlier this year the residents sent a petition signed by about 25 people to the council asking it to find an alternative site for the pump station.

Council water services manager Brett Chapman said an alternative site was still being explored and a report was currently being put together to present to the council later next month.

He said this report would lay out the pros and cons of the Karanema Drive site as well as another nearby site, where the council was still yet to talk to those neighbouring residents.

"Everyone will be invited along to council to hear this report - we are only just now getting information from our consultants - it's not a simple or fast process, we want to be thorough and present all the facts so the council can make the right decision."

The council would be in touch with affected neighbours to tell them when the meeting would be so they could attend, probably near the end of April.

In the meantime, the residents had organised to hold a public meeting on April 4 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm at the Havelock North Function Centre.