B-5 – Area 5 - Assessment of Environmental Effects 15 2.7 LANDSCAPE The landscape values attributed to Area 5 are described in Boffa Miskell (2022), a copy of which is provided in Part H of these application documents. Boffa Miskell (2022) characterises the Waihi SFA context as a working rural area that is visually “contained” by hills in each direction and substantial mature vegetation around the periphery of the site. In the wider landscape, gently sloping and rounded foothills with a north-south orientation are characterised by rural land uses and pockets of native and exotic vegetation. The foothills lead north to the Coromandel Ranges, described as the dominant element in the broader landscape. The ranges contain “steep and rugged deeply incised landforms with gorges and “V” shaped valleys” up to 700 m above sea level. According to Boffa Miskell (2022), “mining activity is a characteristic of the Waihi landscape”, along with urban, and rural production, activities. The existing mining operations onsite have, however, generally avoided causing major adverse landscape or visual effects, due to the screening provided by topography and vegetation. The viewsheds towards the site from dwellings south-east of Waihi includes vegetated recreation areas along the Ohinemuri River and rural lifestyle properties along Heath Road. For dwellings located in Waihi to the west of the site, views towards the site are limited by intervening native vegetation in the foreground, with views of the pine plantation on Winner Hill and Gladstone Hill on the skyline. Views to the site from dwellings north-east of Waihi are limited to gaps between intervening development and vegetation, with limited views of Favona Hill and Union Hill along the skyline. 2.8 ROAD TRANSPORT NETWORK The transport environment in which Area 5 sits is described in Stantec (2022), a copy of which is provided in Part H of these application documents. Access points to the Waihi SFA are shown in Figure 7 below. The primary vehicle access to the Waihi SFA is the Ohinemuri River bridge from the site gate at the northern end of Baxter Road. The gate is approximately 1.2 km north of the Baxter Road - SH2 intersection. Baxter Road has a 100 km/h speed limit and is classified in the HDP as a ‘Local Road’. Baxter Road is a no-exit road, with a 7 m-wide sealed carriageway, classed as a ‘Local Road’ in the HDP. It is primarily used to access OGNZL’s underground mines and the Waihi SFA. The Baxter Road - SH2 junction is a recently upgraded T-intersection 1.2 km south of Waihi. Available sight distance exceeds 250 m in both directions, consistent with Austroads requirements for a 100 km/h speed environment.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE2NDg3