Carterton vet clinic gains go-ahead

NEW BUILD: An architect's drawing of the proposed South Wairarapa Veterinary Services building in Carterton.

A contentious plan to open a new veterinary clinic in Carterton has gained resource consent.

South Wairarapa Veterinary Services' application to build a $1 million clinic south of the Taratahi Hotel was approved by an independent commissioner on Friday, after a public hearing in June.

The application for subdivision and land use for the 27-room clinic had prompted opposition from residents living near the proposed site over traffic-safety concerns and the area's heritage value.

But commissioner Richard Fowler said in his report that the negative impact on road safety would be small and he did not consider there were adverse effects on the historic buildings or their heritage values.

"I have concluded that the adverse traffic effects are minor on the traffic engineering and planning analysis, or at least acceptable in terms of consideration of this issue ... I stop short, should this matter go further, of characterising them as 'less than minor'. The problem with this type of analysis is that even a relatively small statistical diminution of road safety can, if the particular deadly circumstances coincide, produce a dangerous situation or even worse, a tragic outcome.

"But I must analyse this with the assistance of the expert evidence rather than a more visceral reaction."

South Wairarapa Veterinary Services director Adrian Evans said he was pleased consent had been granted but would not celebrate until after the appeal period closed on July 24.

"We just want to get on with it - we've been working on this for a long time, but I've learned not to count chickens ... I haven't opened a bottle of champagne yet, put it that way," Mr Evans said.

"We did enter the consent process with some confidence, because we had already got the approval of NZTA. So we had already done the due diligence.

"It's important people can have their say but we wouldn't have gone nearly so far if we weren't sure that we had a reasonable chance of securing the consent."

If no appeals were lodged, work on the site could begin in about six weeks.

Some changes might be made as a result of the Masterton clinic opening and from feedback during the submissions stage, Mr Evans said.

"We are not about to change the whole design or anything like that, but we are going to take on board some of the things that came up during the submission process," he said.

John Cameron, of Carrington House, said he was disappointed the consent had been granted.

"It seems to probably be game, set and match," Mr Cameron said.

It was important that the democratic process had been followed, however.

"We are disappointed, understandably, but ... at least everybody had a chance to air their views."

Mr Cameron said he was still reading the commissioner's report and had not spoken to neighbours about whether to appeal the decision.

"It's been approved and I guess local residents will consider their position over the next few days."