Council Votes Unanimously to Keep Blackbridge Transfer Station Open

The message from users of Blackbridge Transfer Station has been clear and Hastings District Council has listened.

Today, all 15 councillors voted to keep the transfer station open until December, when its current operational contract expires, and to look at options to keep it open beyond that.

In its Draft Ten Year Plan, Council proposed closing the small transfer station which was seeing a significant drop in refuse tonnages.

The closure would have seen residents of surrounding Clive, Haumoana, Te Awanga and Whakatu having to travel to Henderson Road Transfer Station in Flaxmere.

However, the response from residents who use the facility was strongly opposed to the closure with a petition of more than 3000 signatures presented to council and about 50 submissions made to the Draft Ten Year Plan on the closure.

One of those submissions was from a contractor proposing that he manage the site himself and Council is aware of others that may also want to undertake this work for Council.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says council officers will request expressions of interest from private operators who would be keen to manage Blackbridge.

“We want to find a way forward that will serve the needs of the communities that use Blackbridge regularly without burdening the district’s remaining ratepayers,” Mayor Yule says.

“This has been an example of the consultation process working. Council has made a proposal, consulted with the community and then heard what the community has to say.

Now we need a plan to make this facility work in the long term.”