The Star: September 21, 2017

4 Thursday September 21 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
The Star
News
Authorities will investigate how to
• By Bridget Rutherford
WAYS TO help make a Spreydon
woman’s home more “liveable”
after five two-storey townhouses
started being built close next
door will be investigated.
City council head of resource
consents John Higgins, his
colleague John Gibson, Wigram
MP Megan Woods and city
councillor Phil Clearwater met
with Bolton Ave home owner
Kim Mehlhopt yesterday.
It comes after The Star
revealed last week JSJ Investments
was building the townhouses
next door to her home of
15 years – the garage less than
1m away.
Under the
District Plan
the townhouses
are
compliant,
although Ms
Mehlhopt said
Kim Mehlhopt
it will devalue
her home, cost
her privacy
and the street’s family appeal.
After yesterday’s meeting,
Dr Woods said the city council
would now contact the developer
to discuss ways to make Ms
Mehlhopt’s home more liveable,
given the close proximity.
Ms Mehlhopt said it was a productive
meeting, and she raised
concerns about the district
planning rules and the need for
consenting to be done in a “more
neighbourly way.”
“The house is there to stay so
they were only talking about
mitigation.”
Ms Mehlhopt previously laid
a complaint with WorkSafe
about unsafe building practices
next door, but WorkSafe said
it had no issues with what was
witnessed.
JSJ Investments director Nick
Johnston said they were considering
buying Ms Mehlhopt out.
Ms Mehlhopt said she wanted
to wait and see what mitigations
could be made first.
TIGHT: Builders work on the townhouse development next to Kim Mehlhopt’s Bolton Ave
home yesterday. Below: City council head of resource consents John Higgins and colleague
John Gibson inspect the proximity between the two dwellings. PHOTOS: MARTIN HUNTER
Mr Higgins said the situation
would also be referred onto
the District Plan team, who
could consider any changes
necessary.
“It is accepted the building is
very close to the neighbour.”
Ms Mehlhopt’s property
is zoned residential medium
density. It has been that way
since the 1990s, but zones in
other parts of the city changed
in the new District Plan process.
After the earthquakes, the
existing District Plans needed
to be replaced, which was done
through the city council and an
independent hearings panel.
In 2014, it was fast tracked by
an Order of Council. The order
set out the Statement of Expectations.
They asked the new District
Plan “reduce significantly” the
reliance on the resource consent
process, the number, extent, and
prescriptiveness of development
controls and design standards,
and the requirements for notification
and written approval.
In the process, the zoning
on one side of Somerfield’s
Studholme St changed to
residential suburban density
transition, allowing for higher
density development.
Multay Developments has got
the go ahead to build four, twostorey
units at 23 Studholme
St, which used to have a threebedroom
bungalow on it.
Residents are fiercely opposed
to it because they say it will take
away their street’s family orientated
appeal and privacy.
Originally, Multay Development’s
application featured three
aspects not compliant with the
District Plan.
After a hearing earlier this
year, it was decided consultation
would need to be done with
some neighbours as part of the
resource consent process because
of that.
Mr Higgins said Multay Developments
had since amended
its plans to fully comply with the
District Plan.
Because of that, it
Gerry
Brownlee
Phil
Clearwater
no longer required resource
consent, so consultation was not
needed.
A spokeswoman for Multay
Developments director Warren
Taylor said he did not want to
comment.
Studholme St resident Marty
Flanagan said they still wanted
to fight the development, but
there was only so much they
could do.
He said the District Plan gave
all the “power” to the developers.
“All of these got snuck through
the District Plan change just after
the earthquakes and it wasn’t
really communicated clearly
enough.”
Cr Clearwater said both
situations were “unacceptable.”
He said because of the
Government’s Order in Council,
the city council had “virtually
no say” in the outcome of the
plan and it was “immensely
frustrating.”
“We wanted to keep notification.
We wanted to protect
amenity values and keep clear
environmental standards. But
what we wanted was countered
by the Government.”
He said the rules disempowered
residents, and he wanted
the legislation changed so the
District Plan could be altered.
“A new Government needs
to work with our council so we
have a change to that legislation
made
urgently,”
he said.
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