Today’s full public hearing of a resource consent application to relocate air conditioning equipment from the roof of the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum was cancelled following discussions between the Council (as resource consent applicant) and the parties who lodged a joint submission on the application.

The independent planning commissioner deciding the application has been provided a suite of proposed conditions that Council and the neighbours had agreed on late yesterday.

The facility’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system needs major repairs and maintenance, and Council was proposing to build a new ground enclosure with acoustic walls to house the mechanical plant relocated from the roof.

The consent application needed to be heard by an independent planning commissioner because Council is the applicant.

Group Manager of Business Support Helen Barnes said Council (as applicant) recognised the concerns raised by the neighbours and it was good that the two parties were able to talk through these concerns, without the need for a full hearing.

“The next step is for the commissioner to make a decision on the consent application, taking into account all the information that has been provided by the parties.”

The commissioner’s decision will be subject to an appeal period.

If resource consent is granted, this would mean Council can lodge building consent for the enclosure, which would be built on the Ashburton Domain side of the facility.

The enclosure is proposed to have 4m 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.