More small-scale private hydro power schemes have been declined by the Otago Regional Council (ORC) in recent weeks, according to councillor Gary Kelliher.

Lowburn resident Jack Davis attended the public forum of the ORC’s recent Cromwell meeting to share his concerns about his water permit being declined to set up his own hydro power scheme.

Cr Kelliher questioned Jack at the meeting “why did you even ask?” knowing full well his consent was tied up in red tape through the current Land and Water Regional Plan.

“Since Mr Davis presented to council I have been made aware of other very similar circumstances, including one that was declined by council staff that same week,” Cr Kelliher said.

He said the ORC was becoming almost “hypocritical” in its evolving stance towards those schemes.  

“There has always been a very strong bias against water use and irrigators, but in these latest situations like Mr Davis', ORC now want to further the bias and red tape towards continual no for these applications, when all these people are trying to do is improve efficiency for themselves and their activities.”

Jack has a permitted water take from the Stratford Creek but wanted to divert that water through a PowerSpout turbine.

However, the council has informed him his existing consent does not technically allow him to take water from the creek and put it to work turning a turbine.

The ORC confirmed last week there was no option under the current regional water plan to change on a consent how water is used, or to add in an additional use for the water, such as hydroelectricity.

However, there was the option to swap out the existing permit for one that included hydroelectricity as a water use - but he would need to go through an application process to do so.

Cr Kelliher said the new Government promised to reduce red tape but councils like the ORC were determined to add more.

“The ORC are utterly determined to require resource consent for as many activities that use natural resources as it can. It has ballooned into a regulatory authority that wants control and ability to charge and set conditions against activities that often take well-meaning people by surprise, and immediately sets them at odds with council.”

He said this was “totally wrong and needs to be halted.”

Cr Kelliher along with Cr Michael Laws have been staunchly against the proposed Land and Water Regional Plan, that is due to be notified in October.

The pair back the Government’s request for delays so a more realistic land and water plan can be established, so that Jack and others were not dragged through a bureaucratic minefield of cost and grief, with no certainty of an outcome.