A small stand of native bush has achieved what thousands of submissions against the proposed Kate Valley landfill could not - threatened the dump's viability.
The stand of less than 1ha of black beech in a gully off Kate Valley, at Waipara near Christchurch, was left when the area was cleared
for farming.
It has survived more than a century of grazing by stock, missed out on formal protection by two environmental assessments, and even now can be clearfelled at any time without a permit.
But a combination of planning law and the Hurunui District Council's conservation policy left the panel of commissioners hearing the Kate Valley landfill bid discovering they were "obliged" to order its protection, even though it will reduce the landfill's capacity by 70 per cent and could make the project unviable.
The protection order for the patch of forest - known as Remnant A - is one of the conditions in the commissioners' decision, in which all 25 consents sought by Transwaste Canterbury were granted.
The companies and councils that make up Transwaste Canterbury will meet next month to consider whether to challenge the condition.
Herald Feature: Conservation and Environment
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