Dedicated phone line set up for Eastside noise complaints (+video)

The Rotorua Lakes Council has set up a dedicated phone line and will be asking residents of Rotorua's eastern suburbs to detail issues regarding noise complaints in the area.

The Rotorua Daily Post was updated on work regarding noise issues by Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick, deputy mayor Dave Donaldson and council chief executive Geoff Williams this morning.

They said they should have a much clearer picture of the noise issues by the end of this month but could not put a timeframe on when the issues would be resolved.

They said noise problems were a complex issue and were coming from different places at different times and were not all coming from the Lumbercube mill.

The council is still waiting on a noise compliance certificate from Lumbercube management, but were unsure as to when this would be received.

The mill will continue to operate with no restrictions until the certificate had been received.

The Rotorua Lakes Council received 64 complaints overnight relating to noise issues from the Eastside industrial zone.

On Monday night Steve Chadwick, deputy mayor Dave Donaldson and Rotorua Lakes Council staff and compliance teams observed first-hand the noise concerns being raised around the Eastside industrial area and in particular the Lumbercube mill on Vaughan Rd.

Overnight Monday there were a further 91 noise complaints lodged, bringing the total number received since the mill opened in September to 1472.

About 40 people took to the street outside the mill last week to protest against the noise they say is keeping them awake at night. They say the noise issues have escalated since the mill started operating at night in March.

Pressure has been mounting in the eastern suburbs since the mill opened, with some locals calling for the council to shut the mill down.

The Eastside Residents Action Group has been set up to take on the council over noise issues and was planning to set up an incorporated society.

Lumbercube management have told the Rotorua Daily Post it was doing everything it could to reduce the noise and had spent around $1.7 million on the problem.