Consent application for new quarry at Burnham

Public Notification

In September 2023 Winstone Aggregates lodged consent applications with Selwyn District Council and Environment Canterbury to develop a new quarry at Burnham, West Canterbury.  We requested that the applications be publicly notified, and on the 8th of May 2024, the 20 working day notification period commenced.  In addition to the information included in the notification itself, you can find more information on our application here.  We encourage interested parties to make a submission or send us any comments you may have.

Background

In 2021 Winstone Aggregates purchased a property in Burnham, with the intention of seeking the appropriate resource consents to progressively quarry the property in the future.  As an industry leader with many years’ experience operating in the region, Winstone Aggregates put considerable thought into the location of the potential new quarry, looking specifically for a property that was situated away from densely populated areas, and could be managed sensitively to limit any potential effects on the local community.

The need for aggregates across the Canterbury region has intensified over the past 10 years as Christchurch has rebuilt following the earthquakes.  Quarries which would normally be expected to provide aggregates for many decades have been depleted much earlier as building and construction returns Christchurch to a liveable, vibrant city for future generations.

The Burnham property is currently operating as a working farm, which will allow Winstone Aggregates to take an innovative approach to managing the property long term i.e., the property will largely continue to be farmed with only a relatively small proportion of the site quarried at any one time. Each area quarried will then be rehabilitated and returned to farmland.

Since 2021 we have engaged with mana whenua, our neighbours, Selwyn District Council and Environment Canterbury while progressively refining the quarry proposal. We want to help people understand how this quarry will benefit Canterbury, as well as demonstrate how seriously we take our responsibility in managing this quarry sensitively for the local community and environment.