PROSECUTION WITHDRAWN

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29237, 22 June 1960, Page 16

PROSECUTION WITHDRAWN

County Council And Builder

A builder who defied a “stopwork” notice issued by the Waimairi County Council because he had not obtained building permits would not be prosecuted, but would be sent “a stronglyworded warning," the council decided at its meeting last evening.

The decision reversed the council’s town-planning committee’s recommendation that the builder. H. J. Strang, Ltd., be prosecuted. Cr. H. J. Reynolds, moving that prosecution be withdrawn, said that Mr Strang had been held up by roading requirements at a subdivision in Delph street (off Ravenna street), on which he had been working. He had a gang of carpenters working there, and would have been "in an invidious position” had he not carried on. The county’s officers had not found any blemish in his work ai a builder, and it would be “a little harsh'* for the council to prosecute, he said. Cr. J. I. Colligan, chairman of the council’s town-planning committee, said he was “easy about the matter." although the council had a policy, and ignorance of building permit requirements could not be an excuse. Cr. C. L. Austin said that Mr Strang employed a large number of men and had only the one subdivision to work on. “Either he would have to pay his men at considerable cost for doing nothing, or pay a fine,” Cr Austin said. "It’s just a question of mathematics. He could afford to pay a big fine rather than lose his men or pay them for doing nothing." Mr Strang had beep “in sheer, absolute ignorance" of a change of policy by the council in regard to issuing permits. "He defied the stop-work notice and he was expecting a summons." said the chairman (Mr A R. Blank). "So we decided not to disappoint him.” (Laughter.) Cr. Reynolds's motion to withdraw the prosecution, and substitute the strong warning, was carried without dissent.