By Brendon McMahon, Local democracy reporter
A public hearing into a proposed mineral sands operation on 22ha of farmland at Cape Foulwind will open on Monday in Westport.
Cape Foulwind Photo: JLL
Westland Mineral Sands Co Ltd have lodged consent applications with the West Coast Regional Council and the Buller District Council to undertake heavy mineral sand mining at Okari/Nine Mile, about 25km south-west of Westport township.
The company has purchased 22ha of farmland inland from Okari Road which runs to the Okari River mouth, and several kilometres south of the well known surfing beach at Tauranga Bay.
The application covers 23.4ha of privately owned land that will be utilised for mining, processing facilities and associated infrastructure such as roads.
The application is to mine a paleo-sand dune system for heavy minerals, notably ilmenite with associated garnet and rare earth elements.
The removal of up to 500,000 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate is proposed over the requested 10-year term for the consents.
Already five council-commissioned peer reviews have raised a raft of concerns over the proposed mine, ranging from the risk of fatal road crashes to the possibility of exposing radioactive materials.
Westland Minerals Sands proposes trucking processed materials to the wharf at Westport, and has also sought consent to truck to the Greymouth wharf.
The issue of access and heavy traffic movements is one component flagged by council consultants with an estimated 42 to 62 vehicle movements each day projected through the residential areas of Tauranga Bay, Omau and Carters Beach.
The road from Omau also gives access to the Department of Conservation's Tauranga Bay seal colony.
Local Democracy Reporting is a public interest news service supported by RNZ, the News Publishers' Association and NZ On Air.