A gold dredging operation proposed for the Clutha River near Luggate has been declined by three different councils involved in the hearing.

A combined decision on Cold Gold Clutha Ltd was made by the Otago Regional Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Central Otago District Council in mid-January.

The company has been gold dredging in the Beaumont area for several years, but when an application was made to move the operation north, it came up against many opposing submitters.

Concerns were raised at the hearing in Cromwell before Christmas about environment impacts on the river, from both the exhaust emissions, the disposal of effluent onboard, as well as lack of cultural considerations.

According to commissioners Rob van Voorthuysen, Craig Welsh, and Jane Sinclair, the potential adverse effects of the proposal were not outweighed by its positive effects.

In their report they found the applicant had not studied the after effects of dredging on aquatic ecology in the river, and exact areas of the dredging operation were not specified.

Kā Rūnaka sought that the applications be declined because they had not been provided with sufficient information to enable them to assess the effects of the proposal on Māori cultural values and interests.    

The company already has consents to dredge further downstream near the Tuapeka Mouth, which were renewed last year and run through to 2035.