CAMBRIDGE NEWS | 1
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2021
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It’s a real newspaper NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Quarry plan revealed By Mary Anne Gill
Plans for a giant quarry in Cambridge have been released to The News by Waipā District Council after neighbours revealed they are hiring a Queen’s Counsel to try and stop the development. The proposed sand quarry, 2kms east of Cambridge between Waikato Expressway and French Pass Road, would supply the Waikato construction industry and extract 3-400,000 tonnes of sand a year for 25 years. An average of 52 trucks every
weekday and as many as 200 trucks a day could visit the site, according to a pre-application meeting held between RS Sand Ltd and council staff. But Rhys Powell, whose property in French Pass Road would border the quarry, says he and other neighbours are ready to fight the plans which they say will have huge health, environmental and cultural problems if allowed to proceed. The quarry would produce silica dust, which is harmful when inhaled, the site was once a pa, the applicants would remove
a riverbank and mine next to a waterway that feeds the Waikato River, said Powell. Waipā District Plan and Growth manager Tony Quickfall said while the council had not received an application yet, the resource consent pre application notes suggest it would be a discretionary activity if it was lodged. Should the application go ahead, an independent consultant would consider it while an independent commissioner would make the final decision, he said. The site has no direct connection
to Waikato Expressway and north and south bound trucks would need to go through Cambridge town unless Waka Kotahi builds two new off ramps near Cambridge Golf Course. RS Sand is owned by Stevenson Aggregates, a Fulton Hogan subsidiary, and Remediation (NZ) Ltd, a Taranaki company which trades under Revital Group and already operates a composting site in Cambridge. What do you think? Email editor@goodlocal.nz or comment on our Facebook page.
Red marks the spot: the site of the proposed quarry.
Back to business
Waipā retailers and the hospitality sector opened their doors again yesterday – and for those fortunate to be contacted in advance by their hairdresser, they were at the head of the queue. While Waipā’s economy bounced back strongly after the 2020 lockdown, indicators suggest it will be tougher this time round and the answer lies in supporting local, First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson told a council workshop this week. “A successful hospitality sector will be our anchor.” From that base, Cambridge and Te Awamutu town centres could create environments to enable resilience and capacity. Celebrating and prioritising local businesses and creating reasons and experiences so people can re-engage are priorities, he said. “While we can’t have big events, we can do small things that people can encounter when they come into the town centre,” said Wilkinson. Magicians, street performances, sing songs etc would result in people going to find them in the town centre. There was a common theme to successful businesses. “They’re letting people into their lives. There’s a personal connection, there’s empathy. People feel they are part of that business,” he said. PICTURED LEFT: We are open baby, is how Russ Hair owner Hayley Young welcomed her clients back yesterday. Di Gascoigne was the first in the chair at the Duke Street salon.
Marc van den Heuvel specialises in • Commercial Business and Contracts • Property Law • Business sale and purchase agreements • Commercial, rural & residential property • Financing agreements • Wills and Powers of Attorney • Trusts and Asset Protection LOCAL, PASSIONATE, INNOVATIVE
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