Porirua Adventure Park

A summary of the application follows. 

Links to Application Documents (Figure 1), Officer Report (Figure 2), Applicant Evidence (Figure 3), Submitter Evidence (Figure 4), and Applicant Right of Reply (Figure 5), Resource Consent Decision (Figure 6), See Below.

The independent Hearing Panel have issued their decision about this project which is to grant the Resource Consent for the Porirua Adventure Park, subject to certain conditions. Please see Figure 6 below for the Resource Consent decision and associated documents. 

The Applicant, Porirua Adventure Park Limited Partnership, is seeking the necessary resource consents from Porirua City Council and a concession from DOC to establish and operate an adventure park being ‘The Porirua Adventure Park’ at Spicer Botanical Park, Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve, Te Rahui o Rangituhi (formally ‘Colonial Knob Parklands’), the Porirua Scenic Reserve, the Spicer Botanical Park and a portion of the Spicer Landfill. Consents and discharge permits are also currently being sought from GWRC.

The application site is in the map of the Rangituhi/Colonial Knob Reserve, that is the only portion of the site subject to the DOC concession application is highlighted.

The Adventure Park proposal comprises the following key components:

a) The establishment and operation of recreational activities including walking, mountain biking and a surf simulator;
b) A Base Station compound at Spicer Botanical Park containing an operations building, café, a surf simulator, a demonstration and bike repair centre, toilets, changing rooms, administration, and the gondola station and gondola maintenance station;
c) A Top Station compound at Te Rahui o Rangituhi containing a café, bathroom facilities, a covered walkway, a designated helicopter landing area and a service shed; 
d) A gondola comprising two stations and nine towers that enables access from the Base Station to the Top Station;
e)  Uphill and downhill mountain bike trails that comprise a combination of trails already consented under an existing Porirua City Council consent and new trails proposed in this application;
f) New walking trails and upgrading and extension of existing walking trails to an accessible standard including the creation of a loop trail around the Department of Conservation redundant water reservoir;
g) A zipline extending from below the proposed Top Station to the land within the Spicer Landfill designation. The line comprises two lines accessible via two steel tower structures;
h) A new carpark with bus bays, a helipad and a hanger within the Spicer Landfill site that is currently utilised as a landfill ‘borrow area’;
i) Helicopter movements for both emergency and operational / commercial purposes to and from helipads located at the base station and top station;
j) Upgrading of existing vehicle and accessible access routes within Spicer Botanical Park;
k) Vegetation disturbance, trimming, and clearance associated with building, gondola and trail construction;
l) Earthworks and construction works;
m) Signage; and,
n) A number of remediation and mitigation measures recommended by the project team including the installation of a flood protection berm to the west of the base station compound, mitigation planting, landscape amenity planting, ecological monitoring and pest and weed control.

The proposed hours of operation for the proposed Adventure Park, including the helicopter operation, will be 365 days a year as follows:

• Winter: 10am to 5pm, 7 days a week, 
• Summer: 10am to 9pm, 7 days a week. 

For temporary events held at the Top Station café it is proposed that hours of operation extend to 12pm (midnight).  It is anticipated that up to 15 events will take place at the Top Station café in the summer daylight saving period.

The design of the Base Station and Top Station compounds and trail network will enable the use of the proposed Adventure Park for a variety of events for non-biking and biking based events. It is proposed that consent conditions manage the number, duration and operation of events at the Adventure Park.

The resource consent and assessment of environmental effects is accompanied by a number of technical reports including an ecological assessment, assessment of landscape and visual effects, hydrological and hydraulic evaluation, a geotechnical report, a traffic assessment, an acoustic assessment and a cultural impact assessment. 

Application Documents - Figure 1

• Resource Consent Application & Assessment of Effects
• Resource Consent Application Form 9
• Appendix 1 - Certificate of Title
• Appendix 2 - Application Drawings 
• Appendix 3 - DP Assessment
• Appendix 4 - Transportation Assessment
• Appendix 5 - Engineering Report & Drawings
  
• Appendix 6 - Landscape and Visual Assessment
  
• Appendix 7 - Ecological Assessment
  
• Appendix 8 - Geotechnical Report
  
• Appendix 9 - Preliminary Site Investigation
  
• Appendix 10 - Hydrological and Hydraulic Report
  
• Appendix 11 - Trail Standards and Gondola Construction
• Appendix 12 - Cultural Impact Assessment
• Appendix 13 - Proferred Consent Conditions
• Appendix 14 - Helicopter Acoustic Assessment

Officers Report- Figure 2

• Officers Report and Appendix 1 - Conditions
• Appendix 2 - Correspondence with the Applicant
  
• Appendix 3 - Council Map of Trails to be surrendered
  
• Appendix 4 - Adventure Park Submitters 1 to 50
• Appendix 4 - Adventure Park Submitters 51 to 100
• Appendix 4 -  Adventure park Submitters 101 to 142
• Appendix 5 - Summary of Submissions
  
• Appendix 6 - Pre-Hearing report
  
• Appendix 7 - Ecology Report
  
• Appendix 8  - Lighting Report
• Appendix 9 - Landscape and Visual Report
  
• Appendix 10 - Traffic Report
  
• Appendix 11 - Acoustic Report
  
• Appendix 12 - Geotechnical and Hazard Report
  
• Appendix 13 - Land use and Subdivision Engineering Report
  
• Appendix 14 - Contaminated Land Report
  
• Appendix 15 - Infrastructure Report
  
• Appendix 16 - Bird Strike
  
• Appendix 16 - Colonial Knob Vegetation Plots
  
• Appendix 16 - Helicopter Memo
  
• Appendix 16 - Landscape Memo
  
• Appendix 16 - Updated Ecological Management Plan
  

Applicant Evidence - Figure 3

• Applicant Evidence Peter Ibbotson - Acoustics and Vibration
  
• Applicant Evidence Turi Hippolite - Cultural
  
• Applicant Evidence Paul Blaschke - Ecology
  
• Applicant Evidence Alan Blyde - Engineering
  
• Applicant Evidence Karen Jones - Environmental
  
• Applicant Evidence Karen Jones - Geotechnical
  
• Applicant Evidence Cheryl Robilliard - Landscape and Visual Effects
  
• Applicant Evidence Stephanie Blick - Planning
  
• Applicant Evidence Harriet Fraser - Transportation

Submitter Evidence - Figure 4

• Brief of Evidence - M Vincent
  

Applicant Right of Reply - Figure 5

• Attachment 1 - Updated Conditions
• Attachment 2 - DOC Hearing RA Commentary
  
• ECMP Draft For Hearings
  
• Attachment 3 - Erosion and Sediment Control Plan
  
• Attachment 4 - Western Hills Track Counts
  
• Attachment 4 - 31062 SC 05  Land Plan
  
• Attachment 5 - Cheryl Robilliard Right of Reply
  
• Attachment 6 - Peter Ibbotson Right of Way
  
• Attachment 7 - MJ Economic impact assessment of Porirua Adventure Park Final Report
  
• PAP ROR Attachments Combined
  

Resource Consent Decision - Figure 6

• Decision of Panel of Commisioners - Porirua Adventure Park Limited Partnership
  
• Final Conditions

The following consents are sought from Porirua City Council:

Public Open Space Zone (Spicer Botanical Park, Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve and Porirua Scenic Reserve):

• Discretionary (Rule D7.1.4(I)) - Recreation activities which contravene permitted activity standards. 
• Discretionary (Rule D7.1.4(I)) - The construction of buildings and structures which contravene permitted activity standards
• Discretionary (Rule D7.1.4(I)) - The construction and maintenance of boardwalks, walkways, footpaths, cycle ways, access ways and car parks, which contravene riparian setback (D7.2.1); and, maximum earthworks limits (D7.2.1).

 Rural Zone (Te Rahui o Rangituhi):

• Discretionary (Rule D4.1.1(iii) - New buildings in a Landscape Protection Area; 
• Discretionary (Rule D4.1.4(i)) - Recreational and retail activities and the helicopter operation; and,
• Discretionary (Rule D4.1.4(i)) - Construction, use and maintenance of bike and walking trails. 

 Industrial Zone (Spicer Landfill):

• Discretionary (Rule D2.1.4) – For infringements to the carpark, earthworks and yard permitted activity standards; and
• Discretionary (Rule D2.1.4(i) – Helicopter operation

National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health 2011

A discretionary activity consent is also required under Regulation 11(1) of the National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health 2011 for disturbance of soil on a site where a HAIL activity has occurred, with no detailed site investigation.

Pursuant to Section 17O of the Conservation Act (‘the Act’), Porirua Adventure Park Limited Partnership are seeking a lease / license for a term of 30 years for the following works, structures and new trails within Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve (‘the Reserve’) only (refer pink area on map above): 

a) The construction, operation, and maintenance of two of proposed gondola towers (towers 1 and 2) within the Reserve. The vegetation clearance works are proposed across an area of 450m² area which represents 0.34% of Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve. The gondola tower construction and final towers will take up an area of 180m² (90m² for each tower), which represents 0.013% of the Reserve.  
b) Minor pine clearance works within the corridor that spans between towers 5 & 6 over Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve to ensure safe clearances are provided between the top canopy and the gondola infrastructure for that portion of the corridor route that spans the Reserve.
c) Extension and upgrading of the existing Spicer Link Trail (‘Trail 7 – Reservoir Accessible Loop’) to create a loop trail around the existing reservoir. Within the Reserve, with a length of 418m and a maximum width of 1.2m, this trail represents 0.038% of the Reserve.
d) Construction, use and maintenance of a portion of proposed Trail 14 (‘the Euro Decent’). Within the Reserve, with a length of 1,697m and a maximum width of 1.2m, this new trail represents 0.16% of the Reserve.
e) Construction, use, and maintenance of a short section of proposed new Trail 16 (‘the Downhill Loop’). Within the Reserve, with a length of 517m and an average width of 1m, this new length of trail represents 0.039% of the Reserve.
f) Construction, use and maintenance of a small 18m long portion of proposed Trail 21 (Downhill Race Track).
g) Construction of the accessible portion of the Spicer Link (Trail 28) and Spicer to Tumeke connection (Trail 29) so that all ages and abilities can access the existing reservoir and to connect the extension to the existing Tumeke trail. Together these trails will be 368m in length, and, given the maximum width of 1.2m will comprise a total of 441.6m², representing 0.034% 

The trails proposed within the reserve are highlighted on the trail table attached in Appendix Three of the DOC Concession Application. In total, 2,328m of new walking and downhill trails are proposed in Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve, representing 0.18% of the reserve. The trails proposed in the reserve amount to 10% of the new trails proposed as part of the Adventure Park.

In total, works across the reserve (excluding the pine clearance works) proposed as part of the establishment of the Adventure Park operation, amounts to 0.27% of the Rangituhi / Colonial Knob Scenic Reserve site area.

In addition to the above, airspace easements are sought for:

a) Spanning (airspace only) of 353m (22m over Lot 2 DP 52896 and 331m over Pt Section 155 Ohariu District) of the gondola over the Reserve. The corridor is 20m wide and will therefore span over a total area of 7,060m², being 0.54% of the Reserve.
b) Spanning (airspace only) of 447m (62m over Lot 2 DP 52896 and 385m over Pt Section 155 Ohariu District) of the zipline over the Reserve.  The corridor is 6m wide and will therefore span over a total area of 2,682m², being 0.2% of the Reserve. 

Submissions to Porirua City Council (for the resource consent) or the Department of Conservation (for the concession) closed on October 31, 2018, and October 19, 2018 respectively. A copy of the submissions can be viewed below:

• Adventure Park Submitters: 1 to 50
• Adventure Park Submitters: 51 to 100
• Adventure Park Submitters: 101 to 142

The two applications will be heard and determined separately.  If you wish to make a submission and be heard/talk to it, then please note that the application for resource consent and the application to the Department of Conservation will be the subject of separate hearings and decision making processes. The Hearing Panel for the Resource Consent cannot take into consideration whether the Concession should be issued and likewise the Department of Conservation will not be able to take into account whether resource consent should be granted when considering submissions to their respective organisations.