Independent hearing commissioner Graham Taylor will hear a resource consent application by Council this week to relocate air conditioning equipment at the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum.

The facility’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system needs major repairs and maintenance, including relocating mechanical plant from the roof to a new enclosure at ground level.

Six neighbours worried about noise have objected to the application, which involves building a four-metre high acoustic wall as part of the enclosure on the domain side of the gallery and museum to mitigate noise levels generated by the plant.

Group Manager of Business Support Helen Barnes said the consent application needed to be heard by an independent planning commissioner because Council owned the building.

“It’s a function of Council to process resource consent applications of this type, but because Council is also the applicant it needs to be heard by an independent commissioner who will make a decision.”

At the hearing, the Council as applicant will present evidence supporting the work it needs to do to ensure the facility has the specialist industry-approved ventilation and aircon system required.

The enclosure is proposed to have acoustic walls on the western and northern sides, and night-time noise from the plant has been modelled at below 40 decibels, to comply with the permitted activity levels in the district plan.

The hearing is open to the public and will be held in the Wakanui Room at Te Whare Whakatere on Wednesday 12 November.

The Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum opened in 2015 and money for the repairs and replacement equipment has been set aside in Council budgets.