The Alexandra-based Hawkeswood Mining company is very happy that its Millers Flat gold mine has been approved and the company can get on with its 10-year project.

Operations Manager Simon Johnstone said they had spent close to $2.5 million on the joint Otago Regional/Central Otago District Council consent application, and would be fully operating within the next month.

Hawkeswood Mining Ltd expects to create up to 30 jobs and inject an estimated $5 to $7 million annually into the local community with its mine on the banks of the Clutha Mata-Au River.

Commissioners Louise Taylor, Craig Welsh and Rosalind Day-Cleavin released their decision last week, granting the 10-year consent but reducing the proposed water take to just six years.

In their decision they said the potential adverse effects of the proposal were either minor or minimised to the extent practicable, or were otherwise suitably avoided, remedied, mitigated or offset by the imposition of appropriate conditions of consent.

All 475 submissions were closely regarded, and some submitters raised concerns about the impact of the proposal on private property prices and commercial ventures.

But the commissioners said in their decision, the direct effects of an activity on the environment were the primary consideration for our decision. 

“Any indirect effect on property prices or suchlike are not relevant matters we can consider in our decision. We have carefully and thoroughly considered the direct environmental effects of the proposal, including on people and communities, throughout this decision."

One of the conditions of the consent was to ensure that mining work did not prevent public access to the Clutha Gold cycle trail. 

However, the cycle trail may be temporarily diverted in accordance with the Master Plan, to enable ongoing public use and access.