LEE DAM APPEALS UPSET COUNCIL

Two appeals have been lodged against the granting of resource consent for the controversial proposed Lee dam. Fish & Game is appealing to ensure public access, while Forest & Bird is appealing to ensure snails are protected. If the issues cannot be resolved through mediation, the appeals will go to the Environment Court. Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne said he was disappointed at the appeals. The proposed $74 million Waimea Community Dam is described by the council as the most important single infrastructure investment the Tasman community will make. Kempthorne said Fish & Game’s appeal was surprising because it had had a huge input into the feasibility of the dam, and the outcome of the dam would be beneficial to it. There had been ongoing discussion with landowners about access and ensuring safety for their forestry operations, he said. Fish & Game acting manager Lawson Davey said it had appealed on the grounds that public access was not provided for in the consent. The existing access would be under water if the dam was built. Forest & Bird said its survey by snail experts last week established the presence of a population of Wainuia nasuta, a nationally threatened land snail, in the area to be flooded.

(The Nelson Mail Monday, March 30, 2015)

ARTWORKS TO BRIGHTEN LANE

Hanging umbrellas and other overhead art installations will be keeping the rain at bay in Fiddle Lane this winter. The bright additions were approved by the Nelson City Council works and infrastructure committee as part of stage two of the Bridge St upgrade. The council has set aside $200,000 to complete stage two of the upgrade, with the priority to improve the lighting along Bridge St and Alma Lane. Five new LED lights have been ordered to light up identified problem spots and they will be installed after their arrival on June 8. Existing LED lights between 123 Bridge St and the Collingwood St intersection will have their gel colour shields removed, as that will provide brighter white light to the area. The work on Fiddle Lane will be completed by June.

(The Nelson Mail Monday, March 30, 2015)

TAVERN'S NOISE CONTROL RULES LAID OUT

Mapua’s new Sprig & Fern Tavern has been granted a liquor licence by Tasman District Council, despite residents’ concerns. The decision, from licensing committee chairman Brian Ensor and members Laurie Gabites and David Lewis, sets several conditions to control noise from the Aranui Rd tavern, which has yet to open. The on-licence will remain open until 12.30am every day, with live music permitted until 10pm on any night and until midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays. The outdoor seating areas will close at 10pm on Sunday to Thursday and 11pm on Friday and Saturday. In its decision, the committee said the owners of Sprig & Fern had taken measures which would mitigate the generation of excessive noise, including closing the tavern windows, and having live music inside only.

(The Nelson Mail Tuesday, March 31, 2015)

HOUSE BUYING HELP UNDER FIRE

Couples struggling to buy their first home are in line for a $20,000 boost as the Government’s new HomeStart policy and a raft of other changes come into force today but critics fear the law change will ‘‘do more harm than good’’ to an overvalued housing market.

A raft of new social policy laws have come into force.

• The Government's $218 million HomeStart scheme will give first-home buyers larger grants for pricier homes.

• Paid parental leave increases by two weeks to sixteen weeks - and by another two weeks from April 1 next year.

• The parental tax credit rises from $150 a week to $220, and the entitlement increases from eight weeks to ten weeks.

• Average ACC levies paid by employers and self-employed people fall to 90 cents per $100 of liable earnings, down from 95 cents.

• New Zealand Superannuation to increase by another 2.07 per cent.

• The adult minimum wage to rise from $14.25 an hour to $14.75 - a 3.5 per cent increase.   The starting out and training hourly wage also increases to $11.80 an hour.  This is set at 80 per cent of the adult minimum wage.

(The Nelson Mail Wednesday, April 01, 2015)

HOUSING MARKET SUNNY

An active housing market in Tasman has shown a 1.1 per cent increase in home values since the start of the year, while the Nelson housing market remained the same, latest QV statistics show. QV Nelson registered valuer Richard Kolff said demand in the housing market was strong in Tasman throughout the summer because it was a holiday destination. He said long term forecasts of interest rates remaining steady were also contributing to the confidence. QV statistics showed the Nelson housing market was steady, with no movement in home values over the past three months. However, Kolff said there was a slow but steady increase in value as demand continued – the statistics showed a 2.6 per cent increase in Nelson home values year on year since March 2014. He said there was particular demand for blocks of tidy, low maintenance investment flats from people looking to invest for retirement. Rental properties were in demand and letting well.

(The Nelson Mail Thursday, April 02, 2015)

HUNDREDS MARK 20TH ANNIVERSARY

More than 100 people representing generations of Nelson iwi gathered on Whakatu Marae to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its central meeting house, Kaakati. The wharenui was formally opened by the late Maori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu in 1995. It was given the name Kaakati to show the unity and connection between the six iwi from the top of the south that the marae encompasses. The crowd moved from the wharenui to the wharekai where display panels showed newspaper clippings and photographs of the marae’s history.

(The Nelson Mail Thursday, April 02, 2015)

"THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK"

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Duke & Cooke Property News is a clipping service publication compiled by Duke & Cooke Ltd, valuation and property specialists. The information contained within this newssheet are excerpts of property-related articles from current local news sources. Full attribution is given for the source of the extracts in order that the reader may refer to the source articles for full information. As this publication is a clipping service only, the articles included do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Duke & Cooke, and these items are included impartially and objectively.