Guardians of the Bays / May 2016
Guardians of the Bays is a broad-based residents’ group opposed to the proposal to extend the runway at Wellington International Airport (WIAL). We do not believe that the extension will achieve the level of benefits needed to warrant the extensive investment required. We do believe that the social, cultural and environmental costs the extension would impose on Wellington residents and the South Coast and its users are too high.
- Tagged as:
- runway-extension
- airport
- transport
-
-
MEDIA RELEASE GUARDIANS OF THE BAYS: Wellington Regional Council Questions Proposed Airport Extension Application
- Guardians of the Bays
- Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) is putting the proposed Wellington Airport Extension under much needed scrutiny, according to concerned business, community and recreational groups.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Automatically tagged as:
- runway-extension
-
-
-
RE-BLOG KEITH JOHNSON: CentrePort Proposals to Scour Wellington Berths and Dredge Wellington Harbour Mouth need proper Multi-Criteria Appraisal
- Guardians of the Bays
- JUST BIGGER IS BETTER AS FAR AS TRAFFIC IS CONCERNED? By Keith Johnson While road transport increasingly grinds to a halt in Wellington and road rage is becoming common, partly consequent on Wellington City Council’s dog-in-the-manger approach to investment in roads, the Bigger is Better philosophy is receiving ringing endorsement from local authorities with respect to the aviation and maritime shipping industries. Much has been published on this website about Wellington International Airport’s Runway Extension Project – including an article by Dr Sea Rotmann which draws attention to the massive contribution of air travel worldwide to CO2 emissions. Maritime transport is also a major emitter. In this respect, Wellington Regional Council should be insisting upon a proper Multi-Criteria Assessment of the proposed dredging of Wellington Harbour by CentrePort. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/79692673/CentrePort-reveals-details-of-plans-to-dredge-7km-channel-in-Wellington-Harbour A Multi-Criteria Assessment would cover all dimensions of a major public investment: Cost-Benefit Analysis [including the Business Case] Economic Impacts Environmental and Safety Impacts Social and Distributional Impacts With the whole to be concluded with an over-arching summary of redlines and trade-offs. Looking at the current situation, the parallels between the CentrePort proposal and the Runway Extension Project are very interesting: Doubts about financial viability Optimistic multiplier-based ‘economic’ rather than business case justification Concern over who will eventually pay [ferry customers, GWC ratepayers] etc. Environmental concerns The one glaring difference is that Wellington ratepayers are not being asked to pay directly in the case of the Port. SOME ISSUES ON THE PORT PROPOSAL THAT NEED PROPER APPRAISAL Viability of Log Traffic growth as a major driver [with its associated road transport issues] http://maritimealumni.ac.nz/alumni/whats-the-latest/ The silt is potentially toxic: http://www.sandandgravel.com/news/article.asp?v1=4444 The cost could be anywhere between $20 million and $40 million: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/265225/dredging-plan-for-wellington-port The proposal could have adverse effects on recreational and commercial fishing, the recreational use of Wellington Harbour and artesian water pressure and purity in Eastbourne: http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=76457 Wellingtonians will pay through their rate contributions to the Greater Wellington Council and possibly also through higher ferry fares to and from the South Island: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/79886817/harbour-dredge-could-push-up-cook-strait-ferry-prices-shipping-federation Any possible relationship between the dumping of silt and its migration towards the unstable deep sea submarine canyons in Cook Strait seems unconsidered: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm Plus a couple of challenges on ‘shifting sands’ by ‘Old Saltie’ Jim Mikoz: Dredging, dumping, and the moving river of shingle and Why Centreport’s dumping sites are in the wrong places CentrePort’s Channel Deepening Project http://www.centreportbigpicture.co.nz/project-overview CentrePort is applying for consents to deepen the harbour to allow for ships with draughts of up to 14.5metres at the harbour entrance and the Thorndon Container Wharf. These consents would provide CentrePort the flexibility to dredge in one stage or a series of stages, allowing the port to deepen the channel only as required, in response to the size of ships actually visiting New Zealand. An extensive optimisation exercise was undertaken to identify the most cost effective design delivering the least amount of dredging for the best operational outcome. As Wellington is a naturally deep harbour, no deepening is required in the main harbour basin and the overall volume proposed to be removed is less than at other ports to achieve the same outcomes. At the harbour entrance consents are being sought that would allow the port to remove up to 6.0 million cubic metres of seabed sediment. The proposed disposal site is off Fitzroy Bay, in water approximately 50 metres deep. This site is a refinement of the existing consented disposal area. The main container berth and northern approach at Thorndon Container Wharf would also be deepened, with placement of that material, up to 270,000 cubic metres, in deeper water near the berth. Alternatives for disposal have, and will continue to be considered [hopefully].
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Tagged as:
- eastbourne
- thorndon
- fares
- runway-extension
Thorndon, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
-
-
-
BLOG Guardians of the Bays: You can’t have a Low Carbon Capital AND a runway extension
- Guardians of the Bays
- Our Co-Chair, Dr Sea Rotmann, made an impassioned plea to the City Councillors during consultation on the WCC Low Carbon Capital Plan the other day: “Please start taking this seriously, climate change is a reality and it is hitting us hard already.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Tagged as:
- runway-extension
- consultation
-
-
-
REPORT CAPA: Christchurch International Airport belies its ‘remoteness’; pivotal to New Zealand’s tourism
- Guardians of the Bays
- This report clearly shows why Christchurch, not Wellington, is the obvious second long-haul airport in New Zealand.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Automatically tagged as:
- runway-extension
-
-
-
Guardians submission on the WCC Low Carbon Capital Plan
- Guardians of the Bays
- SUBMISSION BY THE GUARDIANS OF THE BAYS ON THE WCC LOW CARBON PLAN Dr Sea Rotmann, May 3, 2016 It is good to see vision for a Low Carbon capital, with planning that will increase cycle-ways, electric charging stations, higher density building, ongoing smart energy challenges and phasing out minimum parking requirement.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Automatically tagged as:
- runway-extension
-
-
-
NEWS Dom Post: Wellington residents call for big council salaries to be trimmed to keep rates down
- Guardians of the Bays
- by Michael Forbes CAMERON BURNELL/ FAIRFAX NZ Wellington City councillors have spent the past two days hearing what members of the public think the capital’s rates should be spent on.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Automatically tagged as:
- runway-extension
-
-
-
RE-BLOG STAB MAGAZINE: How To Torch A Surf Spot, With: Wellington International Airport
- Guardians of the Bays
- All is not well in Wellington.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Automatically tagged as:
- runway-extension
-
-
-
REBLOG ORA TAIAO: Call for urgent health check on Wellington runway extension plans
- Guardians of the Bays
- OraTaiao: The NZ Climate and Health Council is calling for an independent health check on Wellington Airport’s expensive plans to extend the runway into Lyall Bay.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Tagged as:
- lyall-bay
- runway-extension
Lyall Bay, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand/Aotearoa (OpenStreetMap)
-
-
-
REBLOG SURFBREAK PROTECTION SOCIETY: Lyall Bay surf breaks at “substantial risk” from runway extension plan
- Guardians of the Bays
- The Surfbreak Protection Society (SPS) is very concerned that Wellington International Airport Ltd is attempting to railroad through its runway extension by way of the Environment Court, seeing it has not yet yall Bay made convincing arguments through articulated scientific-based debate.
- Accepted from Guardians of the Bays posts
- Tagged as:
- lyall-bay
- runway-extension
Lyall Bay, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand/Aotearoa (OpenStreetMap)
-