Slippery slope: locals oppose major project

PAIHIA residents fear a seven-storey terraced apartment building would trigger slips and cause traffic chaos.
Of 19 public submissions, 15 oppose the plan, but the Far North District Council has recommended hearing commissioners grant a resource consent with conditions.
Auckland-based Paihia Ltd wants to build a seven-storey building with parking at ground level and five apartments on six levels on a steeply sloping site at 8 School Rd. Vehicle access would be via 5m-wide Wallace Lane.
Photographer Frank Habicht, who has lived on School Rd for 17 years, said a walkway used by his family and guests staying at his bed and breakfast would be blocked once construction started.
"The new building just wouldn't fit here because the land is so unstable. Wallace Lane is very narrow and construction will affect neighbouring buildings."
Mr Habicht said he had trouble using his driveway for a year and a half when the council allowed 30 residential units to be built nearby in 2004.
"The mayor's election leaflet says we must safeguard our environment - but that's not happening. This new building doesn't fit into the environment," he said.
In his submission, Ronald Simpson, of Marsden Close Apartments, said the site had suffered slips in the past. He wanted to know what assurance neighbours would have that their properties would not be negatively affected by the project.
"I am not against progress, but along with other affected residents, I have serious concerns about the project and would like to see an independent engineers' report before work begins." Another resident, Violet Johnson, said the proposal for 11 parking spaces would significantly increase traffic along Wallace Lane and School Rd.
She said developers had failed to adequately mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff and traffic congestion.
Dave Mullan, acting president of the Paihia and Districts Residents and Ratepayers Association, said it appeared the proposed building would cover almost every square metre of the section. The association sympathised with the neighbours and had advised them to make submissions to the council.
The association's immediate past president, Val Cadell, said the project had not been notified even though the building would have a major impact on the environment.
"It's a historical area ... there's a stone church and the ruins of the old Williams House. We've been striving for some preservation of the area," she said.
In its resource consent application to the council, Paihia Ltd admitted it had not discussed the proposal with people who could be affected. Nor had it obtained written approval from them.
Council resource consents engineer Rex Shand said in his report the two key limitations to development of the site were land stability and the narrowness of Wallace Lane. Hearing commissioners are expected to rule on the application today.