Drilling on Queenstown Hill

Date:

Mar 30, 2016

Residents on Queenstown Hill may notice drilling at a property at Anderson Heights for a few days from tomorrow (Thursday) while a geotechnical assessment of the underlying soil and rock is carried out.

QLDC has commissioned engineering consultants Beca to carry out the work following a legal claim from the owners of apartments at “Heritage Heights”. The assessment will involve drilling up to five boreholes, which will then be refilled and the area resurfaced.

QLDC’s General Manager of Planning and Development, Tony Avery, said the results would be used as evidence in QLDC’s defence of the claim, due to be heard in the High Court at Invercargill in July 2016. “As always, the Council is conscious of the potential liability to ratepayers so it is important to obtain reliable evidence about aspects of the claim that are in dispute.”

To minimise the cost to ratepayers, the drilling operation will continue through the weekend.

QLDC staff have hand-delivered letters to residents in the units at Heritage Heights to ensure that they are aware of the proposed work and the likely impact from noise and vibration. A letter to adjoining properties and others within a 300m radius of the site will be delivered later today, although Mr Avery said that Beca’s advice was that the drilling would be scarcely noticeable.

Because the matter is before the courts, QLDC will not be commenting further on the claim against it at this stage.