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397 days ago

Draft District Plan could make your property unsellable

Rae from Maungaraki

haveyoursay@huttcity.govt.nz

Are you aware that the draft district plan could make your property totally unsellable?
Are you aware that many properties on the hillside suburbs will be listed as hazard prone?
Do you care about native conservation? Or climate change? Or water conservation?
Do you plan, one day, to subdivide your property for retirement income?
The District Plan proposes rezoning hillside properties from medium density to Large Lot... “where there are constraints... such as steep slopes or a lack of infrastructure.”
Your property may not be steep but if surrounding areas are, this is considered hazardous, and will impact your property values and saleability.
Council has asked for feedback. Have Your Say now BEFORE 15 December 2023. To the above email.
We have had ours. See below. You may have similar or additional issues. Read the draft plan now. And act.
“Our property has neither steep slopes nor lacks infrastructure; nor threatens hazards to others; unlike some properties bordering us.
The entities (Hutt City Council and Wellington Regional Council) must accept the legal and financial implications of knowingly permitting by-law/regulation breaches by property developers thereon to remove top soil down to the water table and replace it with 15 feet of erosion prone, slip prone, uncompacted, unretained clay to build on.....
New by-law needed: where Council/Developer breaches cause hazards such as steep, unretained, or tree stripped properties, or infrastructure damage; causing them to slip down onto existing properties, or cause flooding; requiring clearing and restoration, that neglect and/or breach of regulations should be remedied at the expense of developers/owners; if not the Councils.
Some years ago we were told the Council was retaining a native bush clad, steep, block of Council land on our western boundary to:
a) create a future water reservoir
b) include in native bush/bird and fauna 'restoration corridors' linked throughout the district; which delighted us.
Within a few years we discovered that block of land had been sold to a developer without public notification of any kind. So much for the birds etc. Have these "restoration/regenerative corridors' been removed from district plans. If so why? Short-sighted not only from a native conservation perspective but also in enhancing carbon sequestration for climate change. They should be restored.
Given the catastrophic state of Wellington's 40% water loss, decisions not to build reservoirs seems not only short sighted but unconscionable. These should be added to the District Plan.

More messages from your neighbours
15 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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7 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.9% Summer
    61.9% Complete
  • 36.6% Winter
    36.6% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1458 votes
3 days ago

Worst Xmas ever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.

Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...

Share your Christmas mishaps below!

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