Residents’ complaints need ‘solid evidence’

Press, 2 March 1984, Page 5

Residents’ complaints need ‘solid evidence’

Neighbourhood complaints about alleged carbusiness activities in a St Albans residential street had to be supported by solid evidence before any action could be taken, said the Christchurch City Council’s town-planning committee yesterday. Gosset Street neighbours of Mr Roy Granger, a rac-ing-car enthusiast, have petitioned the council to do something about activities on the property, and the parking of vehicles in the street. Mr Granger told “The Press” last evening that he was not conducting a business on the property. He worked on his speedway racing car during the season, and used his garage for that activity. Three councillors who have seen the property said they were sympathetic to residents who had signed the petition. “There is obviously a business going on there, it is

not just a hobby,” said Cr R. B. Wright. A petition that said Gosset Street had been “converted from a residential into an industrial area” was signed by 18 residents. Vehicles parked outside made it difficult for other traffic to negotiate the street. Noise from vehicles on the property, particularly the racipg car, was annoying, the petition said. “It is really not on for residents to have to put up with this sort of thing,” said Cr Wright. Cr Mollie Clark said she was concerned about “this trend that is happening in our city.” It was a problem of having “open-air workshops” in quiet residential streets, and a “trend to extensive and constant working on vehicles for inhabitants of a property, and for a host of friends.” Mr Granger said that he owned a breakdown service, which was conducted from

another part of Christchurch. He parked his service truck outside when he was at home. When the three-month Woodford Glen racing season was on, he had a trailer for the racing car parked in the street. Mr Granger’s property was inspected by the City Planner, Mr Bill Williams, in early February. He told councillors that the pro-perty-owner said his hobby was stock car racing. The site had been tidy, with no evidence of work being carried out there at the time. Mr Granger had indicated that his garage contained one racing car, and an adjacent carport contained a friend’s car. A tow truck had been parked in the driveway, with a station waggon and large enclosed trailer parked legally in the street. Mr Williams’s report said that enforcement action of any kind on the present evidence would be ex-

tremely difficult, and the complainants would have to supply more specific details of an unauthorised use for any court action to be successful. Cr R. H. Arbuckle said that action taken by other big New Zealand cities in such cases should be studied. “By comparison, I don’t think we do too badly,” said Mr Williams. “If we were not trying to do the enforcement we are doing, we might have chaos.” The council needed a systematic itemisation of times and dates about alleged unauthorised uses, he said. “That is what makes it so difficult.” When problems such as noise were occasional instead of continual, that also complicated the problem of getting a successful prosecution. Neighbours said that people were frequently seen working on the site until late at night.