Delayed building consents and complicated fire and earthquake safety requirements have hit the pause button on Nelson’s Kirby Lane shipping container development.
The venture is the brainchild of Bridge Street Collective owner Galen King, who said despite the delays and temporary halt over Christmas, things would soon be back in full swing.
King said while the Nelson City Council had been hugely supportive of the project, the consent process had been slower than he’d hoped.
He said this meant they hadn’t been able to open the first stage of the development before Christmas, as originally planned.
He said the cost of the project had also ballooned due to the fire and earthquake strengthening standards required for a second storey container construction.
King expected consent for the project by the end of January at the latest, but there was no timeline yet for its opening. Nelson City Council said it received the last piece of information regarding the Kirby Lane consent on December 21, and the building team expected the consent process would be completed shortly.
(The Nelson Mail, Thursday, January 5th, 2017)
A popular freedom camping spot in Takaka currently occupied by hundreds of illegal campers is now out of Tasman District Council’s control and the local enforcement officer has been told to not patrol the area.
The Reilly St freedom camping spot located behind the Takaka Memorial Library in Golden Bay has been home to campers sleeping and living illegally in their non self-contained vehicles and campsites for years.
Enforcement officer Sally Quickfall said she saw the problems at Reilly St as a separate issue to freedom camping.
‘‘It’s going to become a compliance issue, a police issue and a health and safety issue,’’ she said.
Tasman District Council regulatory manager Adrian Humphries said the council was very limited in what it could do.
He said the situation was not straightforward because the majority of the car park was privately owned land by the Rose Estate. The council is working with Land Information New Zealand to sort out how to deal with the issue.
He said the issue wasn’t just about freedom camping anymore.
‘‘It’s about vagrancy, itinerant workers, the housing crisis, people living in cars – it’s actually a reflection on society at this present time,’’ he said.
(The Nelson Mail, Friday, January 6th, 2017)
The lack of water allocation rules across Takaka catchments has been one of the main issues facing a group of Golden Bay residents working to protect and manage its waterways.
The 11 members of the Takaka Freshwater Land Advisory Group (FLAG) propose a water allocation regime based on cultural, environmental and supply needs and use.
In its summary report, which was open for public comment, the group said it worked on the basis that by protecting ecological values most other values would also be preserved.
Public submissions on the group’s report close on January 31. The group and council staff planned to hold an open day for discussion and feedback around March.
The group hoped to present its recommendations to the council’s environment and planning committee in June. The report is available on the TDC website.
(The Nelson Mail, Friday, January 6th, 2017)
Man never made any material
as resilient as the human spirit.
Bernard Williams