Consultation will take place to get feedback on the options being considered for a District Plan Change, and how the visual and environmental effects can be mitigated during and after quarrying.
Councillor Andy Foster, the Council’s Urban Development Portfolio Leader, says the quarry is an important strategic resource for economic growth of the city. Based on the current rate of extraction, the existing ‘north face’ of the quarry will be exhausted in a few years
“In Wellington we are very fortunate to have a Council-owned quarry so close to the city. Costs for roading, footpaths, buildings etc are kept down by transporting this bulk, low-cost product as little as possible. If we have to truck in aggregates from outside the city then construction costs, carbon emissions and road maintenance will go up significantly.”
Aggregate demand in the Wellington region is predicted to increase due to general building and rebuilding, roading and infrastructure projects and significant population growth.
Cr Foster says there has been a quarry in the Kiwi Point area since the 1880s. “Given the importance of aggregate to the city’s future growth, expanding our existing, well-managed quarry is the most logical solution.
“We would face a multitude of serious obstacles if we started looking for an alternative quarry site around the city. The only other options available, with the likelihood of the necessary large supply of high quality rock, are in areas with high recreational or ecological value or really difficult transport access.”
Without expansion at Kiwi Point Quarry, aggregate resources from the Horokiwi and Belmont quarries will be depleted faster - leaving the whole region facing significant economic and environmental implications.
Public consultation will start on 30 September with drop-in information sessions and a submissions process planned. We’ll have more details closer to the date.