Despite newspaper headlines proclaiming otherwise, the five year moratorium on the development of a wind farm in Belmont Regional Park is a recommendation only and has not been formally resolved. Discussion on the recommendation was deferred at its meeting on 29 September due to a range of complexities covering multiple land ownership, legal issues regarding council’s ability to dispose of the land for a wind farm, and the cumulative effects of wind farms on the Wellington landscape.

 

GWRC’s long term intention is clearly to develop a wind farm on this site when it is able to do so.

 

With respect to Puketiro, GWRC entered into a contract with RES (NZ) Limited late in 2006 to develop a wind farm on the site above Pauatahanui which included Battle Hill Farm Forest Park, despite its officials having legal advice against the use of public reserves for commercial purposes.

 

Local groups and residents contended that the inclusion of turbines and access through the Battle Hill Park was illegal under the operative Park Management Plan.

Furthermore, officials of GWRC subsequently agreed an amendment to the management plan which gave preference to activities associated with wind farming over all other activities in the Park and perverted the unbiased consultation required of this process.

 

This is now the subject of a Judicial Review in the High Court sought by Pauatahanui Futures Society Incorporated against GWRC and RES (NZ) Limited

 

For GWRC to suggest that the changes they have made to remove three turbines proposed in Battle Hill resulted from a boundary error is complete nonsense. GWRC’s outline of the proposed wind farm footprint has always included Battle Hill and earlier maps showing proposed location of turbines have up to five turbines on Battle Hill Land.

  

Preserve Pauatahanui Incorporated is extremely concerned, as should all ratepayers be, that GWRC has so blatantly disregarded its legal obligations, and has attempted to whitewash the issues at both Belmont and Puketiro in their latest public statements.

 

This council needs to be called to account for its actions.