Update on Transfer Station Closure
From Beth Houlbrooke:
Please find below Auckland Council’s media response to queries regarding the impending closure of transfer stations at Lawrie Road Snells Beach and Rustybrook Road, Wellsford. My humble apologies for not forwarding this to you sooner however I have been away on a complete break for one week. The local board has not been part of this decision-making process however I am now keenly seeking a solution and trust I have Cr Sayers’ support. There is more work to be done on this and we will keep you updated as best as possible.
From: Jonathan Hope | Local Board Advisor, Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council
"Currently a private operator provides waste disposal services at the council-owned sites at 55 Lawrie Road, Warkworth, and 141 Rustybrook Road, Wellsford.
These sites are currently leased to Northland Waste for free. The lease began in 1998 and is set to expire on 30 September 2018.
In June 2017, Auckland Council released a request for expressions of interest for waste services to be provided at these sites when the current lease expires.
Both these sites are located on closed landfills with associated infrastructure assets managed by Auckland Council. The condition of the infrastructure assets has deteriorated as the landfill has aged.
Our preliminary site investigations have indicated that work is needed to update and renew our infrastructure assets including the landfill cap (surface), to manage the health and environmental effects of closed landfills. Auckland Council is legally required to do this.
We have more detailed site investigations planned that will assess asset condition, as well as environmental and geotechnical risks. Once the risks are assessed, a remediation programme will be developed. This could take up to two years to plan and complete. The work will also potentially change the scope of the services that are able to be accommodated at the sites, as we will have improved the surface condition.
The sites need to be closed for the remediation works to occur, because these are needed across the surface of the site. We also intend to close the site fully to manage the construction safety risks, and other hazards which may arise when we expose the waste. In addition, it is evident from the results of the initial investigation that these works are likely to take longer than originally anticipated – as such, the sites will need to close for a period of time.
Given this, the tender for waste services at the Lawrie Road and Rustybrook Road transfer stations was cancelled. In July 2018, we informed the shortlisted applicants that the tender had been cancelled and outlined the reasons why. The current leaseholder of the sites, Northland Waste, was also given notice that the sites would need to be vacated by 30 September 2018.
We would like to reassure Rodney residents are currently exploring alternate waste disposal options and services for this period. As part of this, we are in discussions with the current operator about extending the lease to the end of November 2018."