Rubble to help Lyttelton port repairs

A crane working at the Port of Lyttelton before the February earthquake. Photo / Supplied

The Government is to fast-track the 10-hectare reclamation of Lyttelton's Port to assist with Christchurch's economic recovery.

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee announced the decision today.

He said it was a practical way to deal with some of the estimated 8.5 million tonnes of rubble and material generated by the February 22 earthquake.

"Around 42,000 tonnes of earthquake rubble was deposited on the site of the reclamation during the civil emergency phase of the earthquake recovery authorised by the National Controller.

"This consent will enable approximately one million tonnes of rubble to be used for the reclamation."

The port lost 30 per cent of its operational space due to the February quake and 14 hectares of container terminal will need to be repaired at least twice over the next three to five years due to ongoing settlement caused by the earthquakes.

Environment Minister Nick Smith said it wasn't practical to subject the project to the normal consent process, which would take six months and then be open to appeals to the Environment Court - potentially taking another 18 months.

"We are giving the powers to Environment Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council to process the consent on a non-notified basis, subject to specific consultation with the Lyttelton-Mt Herbert Community Board, Ngai Tahu, the Department of Conservation, the NZ Historic Places Trust, Maritime New Zealand, and the Lyttelton and Diamond Harbour Community Associations."

Smith said the decision to fast-track the project was influenced by a recent visit to the Japanese city of Kobe, which was devastated by an earthquake in 1995.

"Their disaster recovery team advised me that pre-earthquake Kobe was Japan's eighth largest port but the city lost so much trade in the aftermath that it fell to 30th and 15 years later had still not recovered.

"This loss of trade had significantly hampered Kobe's economic recovery. Their advice was that we should take every practical step in Christchurch to retain Lyttelton's port trade."

Smith said the Government intended to reuse as much earthquake rubble as possible.

"This pragmatic response provides substantial cost savings and emissions reductions as well as helping the port's recovery.

"It will enable suitable rubble to be directly trucked from the city to the port rather than being double handled and carted to and from the Burwood Resource and Recovery Park. This has been estimated to save around $90 million."

Labour MP Ruth Dyson, the MP for Port Hills, said it was offensive for the Government to claim it intended consulting with community organisations when it has already announced the fast-tracking the proposal.

"It can hardly be called consultation when you have already made up your mind what you are going to do."

Dyson said the decision was not about restoring Lyttelton to normal as a port, but about extending the port.

"That's why it's so important the process is transparent," she said.

"It's important that there is an independent assessment on the environmental impact of the Government's plan. That's clearly not going to happen, as far as Gerry Brownlee and Nick Smith are concerned."

with NZPA