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Rubble pile riles Sydenham
Fuming: Tony Tamakehu is among Sydenham business owners upset about earthquake rubble being dumped next door to their premises.
Photo: Tom Doudney
Tom Doudney
SYDENHAM business owners are upset that earthquake rubble is being dumped on neighbouring land by a contracting company in breach of the Resource Management Act. The first that business owners in Cass Street knew of the operation was on Monday when trucks started bringing in piles of rubble and dumping it on railway land beneath the Durham St overbridge next door. After a week, they are fed up with the dust, water and noise sweeping across the fence every day. Environment Canterbury (ECan) regional manager of Resource Manangement Act monitoring and compliance Brett Aldridge said the contracting company was allowed to stockpile material in its warehouse on site but a
resource consent for its outdoor activities was still “in train” and had not yet been granted. ECan investigators had talked to company owner Chris Skelly on Tuesday but the activities had continued and they were due to talk with him again. “He’s doing a job that needs to be done. We don’t want to get in the way of any of the recovery work that is going on. However the flip side is we need to make sure everything is above board.” On Thursday Mr Skelly reacted angrily to the presence of Mainland Press on the boundary of the site and said the company’s activities had all been approved. Cera media team manager Monique Devereux
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told Mainland Press the organisation’s demolition department was working with Skelly Holdings regarding the situation but ECan had accredited the company for its demolition work and it was a compliant contractor. Sydenham business owner Tony Tamakehu of The Chain Man said two of his workers had asthma and the dust was both a nuisance and a health hazard. “The council promoted Sydenham as a bit of an up thing,” he said in reference to Christchurch City Council’s master-planning of Sydenham. “Then they’ve welcomed a dump to move into our back door which is not all that flash.” Clarity Press owner Sue Mitchell said the
dust was affecting their business operations. “The dust is terrible. You go out there and it is just blowing in your eyes, in your face.” The company is one of three printing companies in the street and employee Jake Mitchell said that every time the dust got into their printing machines they had to be stopped and cleaned before they could be used again. Underground Coffee owner Pete Davies said as a food and beverage company, having the dust blowing into their premises was a concern. Mainland Press understands that measures to reduce the impact on neighbouring businesses and to prevent dust are intended to be implemented in the near future.
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