Douglas Wayne White was ordered by the Environment Court to stop trading or repairing cars at his home in Casebrook, Christchurch. Photo / Google Streetview
Douglas Wayne White was ordered by the Environment Court to stop trading or repairing cars at his home in Casebrook, Christchurch. Photo / Google Streetview
A Christchurch man has been ordered to stop using his residential address as a Mini car trading, repair or storage premises, although he denied wrongdoing.
Judge Kelvin Reid in the Environment Court at Christchurch ordered Douglas Wayne White to stop trading from or fixing Mini vehicles from his Casebrook home.
But White emailed in his defence that he wasn’t doing that, and he denied breaking the law at his Christchurch home.
“Every vehicle on the property is owned by an occupant of this property,” the court ruling said, quoting him.
He opposed the enforcement orders and said he had never dismantled any vehicle on his property, the Environment Court decision said.
“I have absolutely no inclination or interest in dismantling or repairing any vehicles at this property as I work fulltime in a workshop environment with full facilities, tools, hoists and safety equipment, so would not even consider doing anything at home,” White said.
The Christchurch home of Douglas Wayne White, crowded with vehicles which were mainly Minis. Photo / Google Streetview
He also disputed the allegations he was trading from his residential address.
The Christchurch City Council applied for an enforcement order on September 15 to stop White’s activities.
It wanted him to stop from dismantling, repairing or storing vehicles at the residential address.
White is the proprietor of the property in a residential suburban zone.
The district plan for that area states what can and can’t be done there.
“Council officers have visited the property on numerous occasions,” the decision said.
Visits were carried out last year and this year and council officers observed and photographed nine Mini motor vehicles on the property or the street next to it.
Two of those were in partial stages of dismantlement, the decision said.
Registrations for two vehicles were not in White’s name.
The council issued infringement notices for two blue Minis and three white ones.
Council officers also found Facebook Marketplace ads for specific Mini vehicle parts and Mini vehicles being wrecked.
All were posted by the username Douglas White and gave the location as Christchurch.
Posts were titled “massive massive Mini clear out” and one other had “major clearance, parts projects and road-legal cars”.
White told a council officer he had about 30 Minis in total but he was “doing his best to get rid of them all and close down that part of his life”.
On another occasion, White told a council officer that “anything and everything that is on his property is advertised for sale”.
The council pointed to White’s breach of the Resource Management Act and the unitary plan.
It also pointed to his lack of acceptance of any wrongdoing, indicating that breaches of the law were likely to continue.
“The council remains of the view that the enforcement orders are necessary,” the judge noted.
The decision also noted White’s lack of formal defence to the proceedings.
“After receiving Mr White’s email, the court gave Mr White the opportunity to obtain legal advice and file evidence in support of his (informal) opposition.
“However, he took no such action. The application is accordingly treated as being unopposed,” Judge Reid said, deciding the matter on papers.
The judge was satisfied that enforcement orders should be granted.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
