Mayor: No 'magic wand' for noise (+video)

A dedicated phone line has been set up by Rotorua Lakes Council for residents of eastern suburbs to detail their concerns regarding noise in the area.

The Rotorua Daily Post was updated yesterday on work regarding noise issues by Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick, deputy mayor Dave Donaldson and council chief executive Geoff Williams. They said they should have a much clearer picture of the noise issues by the end of this month, but could not put a timeframe on when the issues would be resolved.

They said noise problems were a complex issue and were coming from different places at different times and were not all coming from the Lumbercube mill. The council is still waiting on a noise compliance certificate from Lumbercube management, but were unsure as to when this would be received, and were unable to do anything until final noise testing had been completed.

The council received 64 complaints overnight on Tuesday relating to noise from the eastside industrial area.

Mrs Chadwick, Mr Donaldson, councillor Mark Gould and council staff met with members of the Eastside Residents Action Group, set up to combat noise issues, on Tuesday night.

"This is becoming a real health and wellness issue," Mrs Chadwick said.

"I'd love to wave a magic wand and make this go away, but it's not going to."

Mr Donaldson stressed Lumbercube was not the only operation making noise and wanted people to detail what they were hearing and when, and let the council know.

"Living there I know it [the noise] can be quite sporadic. Sound engineers aren't yet satisfied everything has been got right ... things will continue to be worked on ... there is a lot of urgency to see that."

Eastside Residents Action Group spokeswoman Ros Morshead said the meeting was constructive and she was pleased the mayor had visited the area and a dedicated phone number and email address had been set up.

A heatmap showing complaints received from eastside residents since March 13. Lumbercube is outlined in black.

"It was also pleasing to hear and understand what action council are taking on this issue.

"It is important to express to the wider community that nobody wants people to lose their jobs, or for the business to close.

"The new business operates entirely different machinery and processes to its predecessor, and continuous sonic boom-type noise emissions are badly affecting the quality of life for hundreds of families in their homes across eastside - although it is acknowledged that there are some people who aren't affected.

"Enough is enough," she said. "Affected people in the community have been patient for over six months, and we just want the noise to stop."

The total number of complaints received since the mill opened in September has risen to more than 1500.

- To make a noise complaint about eastside noise, call 0800 020 001 or email info@rotorualc.nz.

Eastside noise complaints (April 9-13)

Top 10 streets:

* Lewis Rd: 23

* Hilton Rd: 19

* Isles Rd: 18

* Lynbert Rd: 18

* Lynmore Ave: 18

* Larcy Rd: 16

* Moana Tce: 10

* Awatea Tce: 10

* Selwyn Rd: 7

* Vaughan Rd: 5