Community-driven solution may have been found to keep Parua Bay rubbish station open

Whangārei Heads residents protested the planned closure of the Parua Bay Transfer station last Saturday. Now a solution may have been found to keep it open.

Whangārei District Council and Parua Bay residents may have found a solution which, should certain conditions be met, may enable the Parua Transfer Station to close for only six weeks, then re-open and operate until a new transfer station site is found.

A petition signed by nearly 450 people seeking to keep the Parua Bay Transfer Station open until there is an operating alternative was been presented to Whangārei District Council last week.

Resident John Nicole, speaking on behalf of "a group of aggrieved transfer station users", presented it during his submission to the Annual Plan in council chambers.

Parua Transfer Station - which has been operating on a temporary basis for 15 years - was to close permanently on April 23 after the council withdrew its resource consent application when it became obvious it would not be granted. The rubbish compactor at the site will also be relocated.

But following Annual Plan submissions made by Nicole last week a meeting was held between staff and community representatives on Friday.

Council acting chief executive Simon Weston said Nicole had offered to approach all who had indicated that they would object to a resource consent application for the station in its current location, and obtain their written support for a short-term consent.

If he is successful, the council will submit a new application for resource consent to continue operating at the current site for two years or until an alternative site is found, if that happens sooner.

In the meantime the council will develop the new resource consent application, and when it is ready, provide it, and a list of those affected, to Nicole to canvas.

Weston said he was very hopeful that a community-driven solution may resolve the issue.

The transfer station will close for at least six weeks from tomorrow and may reopen later if all goes according to plan, he said.