Council plans to tidy land, charge owner

Press, 16 May 1984, Page 22

Council plans to tidy land, charge owner

The grounds round an old building in Charles Street might be cleaned by the Kaiapoi Borough Council at the expense of the building’s owner.

The disused building has been used by B. S. Butler and Sons (1970), Ltd, for a furniture-making business. The land is leased by the company from the council. Cr L. N. Price said that it was “unfortunate” that the building and grounds were shabby, because many visitors to Kaiapoi used the area. A scenic walkway and river excursions on the M. V. Tuhoe attracted visitors to the area.

He suggested that a letter be written to the company, asking it to tidy the building and grounds. Other councillors were in favour of taking a “stronger line” because previous similar requests had been unsuccessful.

Cr H. G. McAllister said the council had had problems with the company ever since it was granted the lease on the land.

Cr McAllister moved that the council exercise its rights and go on to the land, clean it up, then charge the company the cost of the work. “We have wasted more money in stamps and postage than we have got back in rental,” he said. Cr P. I. Redmond thought that part of the lease agreement should have been that the grounds be kept in reasonable condition.

The company would be given a time limit in which to tidy the grounds before council staff would do the work.

Rent regulations Rent restrictions, imposed by the Government, could cost the council the equivalent of 1 per cent of its general rate this year. The figure was revealed by the Town Clerk, Mr R. N. McCabe, in a letter to Cabinet Ministers, local members of parliament, and the Municipal Association. The council adopted the letter on Monday.

Mr McCabe said the council would lose $5500 in expected revenue from properties with leases due for renewal.

“This may appear to be a small amount but represents nearly 1 per cent of the general rate struck in 1983-84 and approximately 1.2 per cent of that actually collected,” he said in the letter.

The figure also represented 13 per cent of the expected revenue from rents.

“The principle of a local authority being subject to such pressures in its revenue collection and functions is wrong and it is even more serious that there is in the regulations no right of appeal granted to a local authority to justify its loss,” said Mr McCabe.

The Mayor of Kaiapoi, Mr H. W. Cumberland, said that although he did not think the letter would result in a change to the regulations, it “might strike a cord somewhere.”