Trust may be prosecuted

Press, 17 May 1984, Page 8

Trust may be prosecuted

' The Buller County Council will prosecute the Stone Kingdom Trust if the health and building inspector, Mr Colin Comber, confirms a breach of the building bylaws. The trust was given a month in which to comply with the by-laws and it apparently had made no effort to do so.

Although Mr Comber was to have inspected the trust’s property at Te Namu before yesterday’s council meeting, he was unable to do so. However Mr Comber said Mr Basil Climo from the Forest Service had visited the site last week and said the trust had poured another concrete base and had

erected a tent over it. Members were continuing to live under canvas, said Mr Climo. This is in contravention of council’s by-laws which allow no more than four weeks in such temporary accommodation. Trust members have been living in tents since returning to their own land last month, after being evicted from Forest Service and County Council land. Mr Comber said he would visit the trust’s property as soon as possible to confirm this before beginning prosecution proceedings. There was widespread discussion on the issue at

today’s meeting with some councillors favouring more lenient treatment. However, it was generally felt council would be creating a dangerous precedent by allowing the trust to break its bylaws and a majority vote was in favour of prosecution.