Hillside excavation worries resident

The Wanganui District Council wants to reassure a Bastia Hill homeowner worried about hillside excavations above her property.

Work above Colleen and Brian Eades' Georgetti Rd home has resulted in some clay ending up against their back fence.

Mrs Eadessaid she was constantly worried about the stockpile of clay.

"When it's been wet and after rain we've had clay spill down into our property and run down the driveway," she said.

"Nobody ever bothered to come and tell us what was going on." Mrs Eades, whose husband is terminally ill, said she rang the Wanganui District Council and an inspector came and had a look at the property but nothing resulted from that visit.

"What people do on their own property is their business but when it starts affecting our property then I'm not going to stand for it," she said.

Councillor Ray Stevens, chairman of the WDC infrastructure and property committee, confirmed officers had looked at the site.

"What the owner is doing there is permitted under our district plan but to make doubly sure we commissioned a geo-technical report from Opus which has now be completed," Mr Stevens said,.

"That report assures us that the work going on there is not a risk to life or limb."

He said there were some minor issues with the hillside development that needed to be addressed when the consent process, currently under way, is finalised.

"That will include the matter of shifting the clay that has been backed up against Mrs Eades' fence line. The point is we've been assured there is no risk to Mrs Eades and we will be taking that message to her," Mr Stevens said.

Blair Watson, who owns the land above Mrs Eades, said he plans to subdivide the land, building on one site and selling the other.

"We've followed the right procedure and had engineering assessments done too but until I get the consents signed off by council I can't do any more on the property at this stage," Mr Watson said.

But he said once work could resume the soil up against the Eades' fence would be removed.