Public submissions are now being sought in response to resource consent applications for the new pedestrian and cyclist bridge across the Manawatu River at Ruha St. The consultation opened on Monday November 21st as advised in the Manawatu Standard. Submissions close on Monday December 19^th 2016 at 4:45 p.m.

To find out more, please see this link.

There are multiple pages of documents but we have been advised (thank you Chris) that if you go to the Assessment of Environmental Effects v5 document and read pp1-12, 16-18 and 27-32 you'll get a good idea about it all. Assessments of other effects are also available at the above link.

We’d expect that lots of ENM member groups will have an interest in this consultation and encourage any group or individual with an interest to make a submission. Your submission could be just a paragraph giving your view on the proposal, a page saying a bit more or something more comprehensive if you want to.

Submissions may be made in writing or can be sent via email to consent.submissions@horizons.govt.nz and followed with a signed hardcopy. The MWRC will receive submissions on behalf of both councils. The public notice states that you must send or deliver a hard copy of your submission (signed and dated) to BOTH Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council AND to the applicant. In this case, Tonkin and Taylor are representing PNCC (the applicant.) The address to use is: PNCC c/- Manea Sweeney, Tonkin & Taylor Ltd, PO Box 2083, Wellington 6011. The address for MWRC is Private Bag 11025, Manawatu Mail Centre, PN 4442.

You can request a copy of the application from the Consents Department of the Manawatu-Wangunui Regional Council via email.

HOW TO MAKE A SUBMISSION

Submission forms are available in hard copy from Horizons Regional Council, 11-15 Victoria Avenue, Palmerston North or can be downloaded here.

Your submission must include the following information:

1. Your full name, address for service of submitter, telephone number, email address and contact person (name and designation, if applicable).
2. Details of the application or applications in respect of which you are making the submission.
3. Your submission, with reasons, including whether you support, oppose or are neutral to the application to which your submission relates.
4. The decision you wish Horizons Regional Council and/or Palmerston North City Council to make.
5. Whether you wish to be heard in relation to your submission (make an oral submission), including whether if others make a similar submission, whether you will consider presenting a joint case with them at the hearing.

If you need further information about submitting on this particular resource consent application contact Horizons Regional Council’s consent team on freephone 0508 800 800.Also - ENM has some general tips about making submissions including submissions to resource consents.

For those not familiar with making submissions on resource consents (which come under the RMA), please note that this is a much more formal process than submissions to council’s annual plans, strategies and similar documents. It pays to read the public notice carefully. It is worth emphasising again that submissions MUST have all the required information (see bullet points 1-5 above) as per the submission form.