An Environment Court appeal hearing for Holcim (New Zealand) Ltd’s proposed $300 million cement plant near Weston will begin in Oamaru on March 9.

A decision by a joint panel of the Otago Regional and Waitaki District Councils earlier this year granted resource consents to Holcim to build the plant, but they were appealed to the court.

The hearing will be heard by Environment Court Judge Gordon Whiting in the Oamaru Courthouse.

Expected to take about three weeks, it will be held in two stages.

The court will sit for the first three days, with a site visit on the fourth day, and the hearing will then continue from March 30 until completed.

Holcim’s capital projects manager Ken Cowie said the company had already provided a copy of its evidence to the other parties involved in the hearing.

The company also held meetings of experts to work through some of the outstanding issues between the parties.