Guard for buyers?

Press, 27 November 1979, Page 6

Guard for buyers?

Paparua County councillors want buyers of filled land | protected. I People could ignorantly [buy filled land because vendors did not have to tell buyers it was filled, Cr A. Y. IShuker told the town-planning (committee last evening. The committee found it [could not enforce a condition on an approved Prebbleton I subdivision of 17 lots that (all intending buyers be ini formed the area had been 'filled. The council had .no power to put a covenant on the title showing the land was filled.

;said the county planner (Mr (K. Lawn). But unless the buyers were legally protected they might try to “foist liability on to the council,” Cr H. W. Bennett said. The committee will ask !council staff to find ways of ensuring that buyers of filled land know what they are buying. i Hearings by the Canteribury Regional Planning Authority of submissions on its draft regional scheme were “a waste of time” if decisions would not be made by the same people who heard

the submissions, Cr Shuker said. The Authority wrote to the council in answer to a question, saying that its executive made the final decision on submissions and objections. “This means the executive makes the decisions whether it hears the evidence,” Cr Shuker said. “I have no faith in such a system. The Authority is an august, celestial body with its head so far in the clouds it is not funny.” The committee felt the hearings committees should have power to act.