13 May 2009

Cement plant hearing in Oamaru

12:14 pm on 13 May 2009

An Environment Court hearing into a proposed cement plant at Weston near Oamaru, has resumed in Oamaru.

The Otago Regional and Waitaki District Councils last year granted consents to Holcim for the $300 million plant, subject to more than 100 pages of conditions.

That decision is being appealed by the Waiareka Valley Preservation Society and Andrew Renalson, due to the plant's scale and effect on the landscape.

The plant will produce 880,000 tonnes of cement per year. It would occupy an area 1km long and have a chimney stack more than 100 metres high.

The case has already taken 21 days, and is expected to finish on Friday.