Bylaw plan to tackle Stanton issue

Lewis Stanton’s days of living on Trafalgar St may be numbered.

Nelson City Council will consider a draft ‘‘urban amenity bylaw’’ at a full meeting on Thursday.

Mayor Rachel Reese was clear about who had prompted it.

‘‘I think it’s fair to say the ongoing issues with Mr Stanton have highlighted some gaps we have in our bylaw processes,’’ Reese said.

‘‘The bylaw will be looking to address amenity and safety issues in the CBD.

‘‘It will be dealing with where you place objects on the footpath, occupation of public places, and the ability to limit materials placed in the public spaces.’’

She said it would also look at rules for installing new underveranda lighting on street fronts.

‘‘Not really bright lights, just a good level of lighting for a city.’’

She said council officers were directed to investigate a draft bylaw following a public-excluded council session in December last year. Officers were told it needed to deal with ‘‘public disorder and loss of amenity value in the city’’.

Reese said the bylaw would go through a consultation process and the public would get a chance to have its say.

‘‘We have to make sure we have bylaws that respect people’s right to protest and bylaws that are able to be effectively enforced.’’

Reese said the council would have liked to have resolved things with Stanton through negotiation but ‘‘that hasn’t been possible’’.

Figures released to Nelson MP Nick Smith under the Official Information Act earlier this week showed Stanton’s legal aid costs have hit $45,684, while the legal costs to the council were $53,451.

Stanton who calls himself a ‘‘freelance politician’’ and is also known as Hone Ma Heke, has been living on Nelson’s streets as a form of protest for a number of years.

In 2011, the council put in place a blanket trespass order against Stanton, which effectively banned him from 99.46 per cent of public land in Nelson.

It was later overturned in court with a judge saying it contravened the Human Rights Act.

Stanton has most recently brought a $400,000 civil claim against the council, the AttorneyGeneral, and the SPCA.

He is seeking damages over the trespass orders, the confiscation of his possessions, horse, and cart, and his stints of imprisonment due to charges of obstruction.

Since 2001, he’s been in and out of court on a number of matters including obstruction, unpaid parking fines, failure to do community work, and assault charges.

In December last year the council delivered a letter of apology to Stanton for the blanket trespass, but he refused to accept it.

He told the Nelson Mail the apology would have been empty.

‘‘It does not give my lifestyle back. I would still be here on the street even if I accepted it because I can’t go anywhere,’’ Stanton said.

The urban amenity bylaw will be dealt with at a mammoth council meeting next Thursday.

A bylaw focusing on freedom camping will also be tabled.