Court date set for land use dispute

COMMUNITY OUTRAGE: Residents in Totara St, Hastings, were upset when property developer Shannon Tawhiti shifted three houses on to a vacant section. PHOTO/FILE

A property developer accused of moving old houses on to a Hastings section without the required consent is facing court this month.

Shannon Tawhiti outraged a group of Mahora residents in January when he relocated three buildings on to a Totara St property in the suburb.

The move resulted in Hastings District Council issuing Mr Tawhiti with an abatement notice but the council later granted him retrospective resource consent to allow the buildings to stay on the site.

Dispensation from the requirements of the Hastings District Plan was required for the three dwellings to remain on the 1065sq m section, because Mr Tawhiti's development breached density rules under the plan.

The council said in February it had investigated all home relocation work undertaken by Mr Tawhiti in the district and, as a result of that investigation, expected charges would be laid against him.

One of Mr Tawhiti's companies was fined $300 last year for an earlier unconsented house move in Joll Rd, Havelock North.

A council spokeswoman said yesterday the council had laid charges against Mr Tawhiti in relation to alleged breaches of the Resource Management Act.

"These breaches relate to the relocation of a number of buildings prior to obtaining resource consent," the spokeswoman said.

The matter is due to be called in the Hastings District Court on April 28.

The spokeswoman said the council could not provide further details given the matter was now before the court.

When contacted by Hawke's Bay Today yesterday, Mr Tawhiti said he had not been advised of the court date. He declined to comment further.

He has previously said he had been involved in about 100 house relocations, with only the Joll Rd and Totara St developments running into consenting problems.

Mr Tawhiti has also said his property development work had enabled dozens of families in the district to move into affordable accommodation.

A spokesman for Totara St residents, Preston Epplett, said he was pleased to hear a court date had been set.

He said some work had been done on the houses Mr Tawhiti moved into the street in January.

"Certainly things look better than they did," Mr Epplett said.

He said he remained upset with the council for issuing retrospective consent to Mr Tawhiti, and waiving the density restrictions, after the houses had been shifted on to the Totara St section.

"We are trying to get on with life and put it behind us. I just shudder for the next lot of people it happens to."