Tidying up, or co-opting public land into their own garden?

Forums › Off topic › Tidying up, or co-opting public land into their own garden?

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Bung

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#3302577 28-Oct-2024 20:03

Willie123:

He’s now laid out a heavy red fire hose on the ground, (clearly to indicate his boundary), but it’s still 25 metres from the house.

There’s also a big area of his garden waste dumped in the reserve by the creek.

He’s not giving up easily!

If the fire hose is 25m from the house it cleary isn't on the boundary. Maybe he's getting ready to burn the garden waste.

freitasm

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#3326018 29-Dec-2024 20:44

Couple who ‘tidied up’ neighbouring reserve forced to undo backyard do-up | Stuff

A Christchurch couple whose backyard do-up encroached into a public wetland reserve have been forced to back-pedal and revert the area to its “intended purpose”.

In 2018, James and Sarah Murray removed tussocks, installed grass, planted a hedge and built a fence in the name of “tidying up”.

Now, the Christchurch City Council has instructed them to reverse their modifications as most of the developed 500sqm area was in fact part of Smacks Creek Riverbank Reserve, a council-owned area of ecological significance.

A spokesperson for council said the reversal cost could not be determined until a detailed scope of works was finalised, however, the ecological restoration plan indicated it would cost $11,500 to relocate the private fencing, hedging and exotic trees at the Gardiners Rd entrance and to “excavate to reinstate original wetland profiles” where the Murrays had modified the land.

The spokesperson said the Murrays “will be required to cover costs for any modifications they made to the land” and “actual costs to be recouped will be determined once the work is complete and true costs are ascertained”.

The red line marks the actual property - the rest is council land being "tidy up:

“Since then I’ll happily do anything the council want as long as they maintain it,” Murray said.

That's not how it works. If they don't maintain it, you complain. You don't go around taking public land.

This is one case where I'd be happy with costs of remote sensors and data to make sure people aren't moving around to "tidy up".

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networkn

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#3326106 30-Dec-2024 08:58

elpenguino:

Your photos tell a lot of the story.

--Snip--

So it's a total land grab. Cheeky buggers.

In all honesty, how many people in the last 12 years have geniunely been deprived ? Zero chance I would have stopped there to look around let alone eat a meal in it's original state.

They probably shouldn't have done that, the fence for me is the line I wouldn't have crossed, but I really doubt they have done any harm.

freitasm

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#3326107 30-Dec-2024 09:02

The harm is that it's the protected habitat of a species that could be impacted by these changes.

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networkn

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#3326114 30-Dec-2024 09:19

freitasm: The harm is that it's the protected habitat of a species that could be impacted by these changes.

Yeah, I do get that, though compared to most housing developments, esp around forest and coastal areas, this is pretty minor.

This feels more like a case of 'this is an entity we can direct our misguided frustration at, because they are small enough they won't fight back' thing.

Bluntj

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#3326149 30-Dec-2024 11:18

networkn:

freitasm: The harm is that it's the protected habitat of a species that could be impacted by these changes.

Yeah, I do get that, though compared to most housing developments, esp around forest and coastal areas, this is pretty minor.

This feels more like a case of 'this is an entity we can direct our misguided frustration at, because they are small enough they won't fight back' thing.

and...

Councils do a lot more enforcement activity these days rather than maintenance of their own land. Where I live they struggle to mow the grass and are continuing to look for reserve land to sell to developers.

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RunningMan

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#3326237 30-Dec-2024 14:09

And the extra 500sqm of land they have the use of. That's another entire section.

neb

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#3326274 30-Dec-2024 16:09

Bluntj: Councils do a lot more enforcement activity these days rather than maintenance of their own land.

I think they've been doing that for ages. There's always been an implied social contract, which I've mentioned here before, that if you live next to a less-popular bit of reserve then you're now the caretaker because the council won't do much beyond sending contractors to set possum/rat traps every year or two. For example the bush track that runs below the house had numerous fallen trees and slips after the Auckland anniversary rains, which the council responded to by putting up a half-assed barrier and a "Danger keep out sign". After a year or so of them doing nothing the sign fell down, and the barrier has been pushed aside to allow people to walk down the track, which is semi-maintained by an anonymous group of people in the area who cut away fallen trees, keep weeds down, lay tree branches over soggy bits, etc. It's now been close to two years and they've still done absolutely nothing to fix up a fairly actively-used track.

If the folks in the dispute had kept to the social contract, cleared debris, kept gorse and whatnot down, and planted a few natives without doing very obvious things like landscaping and putting up a fence, everything would probably have been fine.

Willie123

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#3385063 17-Jun-2025 13:51

The owner has now removed the fence and installed a new one as per the councils demand.
Only thing is; the new fence line still appears to be well inside the reserve boundary. I’m chasing this up with the council.

Wheelbarrow01

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#3385160 17-Jun-2025 22:13

Willie123:

The owner has now removed the fence and installed a new one as per the councils demand.
Only thing is; the new fence line still appears to be well inside the reserve boundary. I’m chasing this up with the council.

They certainly haven't been in any hurry to rectify have they? It's been remediation at a glacial pace for sure.

wellygary

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#3385201 18-Jun-2025 10:58

Willie123:

The owner has now removed the fence and installed a new one as per the councils demand.
Only thing is; the new fence line still appears to be well inside the reserve boundary. I’m chasing this up with the council.

What's been done about the hedge?...

Unless they cut it down it will continue to grow up and further give the indication to those on the road that the land is private?

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Willie123

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#3400306 6-Aug-2025 12:18

The council’s response was that they are happy with the new fence and that it “appears” to follow the fence line. I had asked if a survey was carried out, but they didn’t answer, so assume not.

Using a laser measuring device, I calculated his new fence is actually about 3 metres, (and up to 5 metres), into the reserve.

That means the council have effectively gifted him about 150 square metres of the reserve.

At best, this is sloppy procedures from the council that could have implications for subsequent purchasers, or set a precedent for anyone wanting to encroach on public land.

A shitty outcome methinks.

Bung

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#3400321 6-Aug-2025 13:08

If you're sure you are correct 3 to 5m is plenty of room to co-opt for a picnic. Invite the local paper and other neighbours.

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