Call to inspect building plans

Press, 8 July 1983, Page 5

Call to inspect building plans

Heathcote residents may soon be able to inspect the building plans of their neighbours' homes.

The works and reserves committee of the Heathcote County Council last evening discussed whether copies of building plans and permits which were held by the council should be open to the public. The County Engineer, Mr D. J. May, told the council that the present by-law allowed only the home-owner and the builder to view the building plans and related documents. The discussion came after a suggestion made at an earlier meeting by the County Chairman, Mr W. M. Hindmarsh, that permit records should be opened to the public so that any disputes might be resolved at the planning stages. At last evening’s meeting, Mr May said that the bylaw should not be changed to allow wider access to building plans, permits, and related documents. The home-owner had a right to privacy and the plans were usually subject to copyright, said Mr May. The confidentiality of building documents was also a matter of security, as plans often detailed any security systems to be installed in the house. Cr M. C. C. Buchanan said that people living near a house under construction should be able to see the building plans in case they objected to any aspect of the work. They could then raise an objection early if the new building was likely to block their sun or their view, she said.

Cr Hindmarsh said that the rights of privacy and

copyright would have to be balanced against "the right of a neighbour to know what is going to be built next door to him."

Only those who lived near a new building and were likely to be affected by it should be allowed to see the documents, said Cr Hindmarsh. The council would also have to ensure that any changes to the by-law would only apply to houses under construction. He agreed to draft a possible amendment to the by-law for consideration by the committee. Reserves The committee recommended that the council proceed with development of four of the county’s reserves. Members of the committee considered plans for the Remuera Avenue, Takahe, Ferrymead and Sunvale reserves. Mr May told the committee that the plans for all four reserves included the planting of more trees. The planting would probably be done over two or three years. Funds were available for the work. Playing equipment would be installed on the Takahe Reserve, and a soccer field’s park seats would be put into the Remuera Avenue Reserve. The plan for the Sunvale Reserve provided for the playing equipment to be resited. The committee’s chairman, Cr M. J. Taylor, said that some of the work, particularly the construction of the seats and the playing equipment, could be done under the Labour Department’s Project Employment Programme.