Ex-weightlifter’s battle to remain living on her land
‘‘I have been told if I don’t pay I will be evicted from my own land.’’
Jackie Thompson
A former nationally-ranked weightlifter living in a relocatable home on bare land in Taranaki is facing paying a hefty bill to comply with council building consent – or lose her home by Christmas.
Inglewood beneficiary Jackie Thompson was once ranked in the top three competitors in the national under 60 kilogram class until a back injury while training cut short her Olympic Games ambitions in 2000.
Thompson is now on a sickness benefit after re-injuring her back while lifting a heavy box at work – a move that left her in permanent pain and unable to work since 2011.
For the past 16 months she says she has been living in a temporary rented relocatable cabin on bare land in Inglewood.
Thompson paid $95,000 for the Maire St section with plans to erect a permanent dwelling.
However Thompson claimed she is now threatened with eviction by the New Plymouth District Council for ignoring requests to vacate the property after a 12 month maximum stay.
Thompson said she was aware she was only allowed to live in the temporary cabin for up to a year.
She had planned to be in the new house within 12 months but the ongoing back injury had slowed the building progress.
Thompson said she had not ignored council regulations – she had the cabin anchored to the ground to withstand strong wind gusts, and had installed wastewater drainage to the property.
Mains power and sewerage had been connected to the site but Thompson used a portaloo because the sewerage connection, in place for the anticipated house, was 30m from the cabin.
The district council regarded the cabin, and a storage container nearby, as illegal structures, she said.
‘‘They initially told me I would need to pay $1500 to register the cabin as a permanent structure,’’ she said. ‘‘Then a week later the cost had jumped up to $20,000 to install a toilet and laundry.
‘‘I have been told if I don’t pay I will be evicted from my own land.
‘‘I’ve got nowhere to go. It’s really frustrating they can do this to me.’’
NPDC chief operating officer Kelvin Wright said council staff have been talking to Thompson about her temporary accommodation for the past 18 months.
Complaints from the public initially prompted council staff to contact Thompson, he said.
‘‘She told us she was building a house at the Inglewood site with her partner and we agreed she could stay on the site with a portaloo for 12 months while the new house was being built.’’
After 13 months no building consent had been applied for, and there were complaints from neighbours, he said.
‘‘Ms Thompson was given one more month to apply for a building consent.’’
However after 15 months there was still no building consent application, he said.
‘‘Council were advised Ms Thompson was no longer living at the property, and her partner would also be leaving soon, removing the temporary accommodation unit, shipping container and portaloo.’’
Thompson later returned to live on the site in the temporary accommodation and asked council for advice on how to make it permanent.
She was told she would need a building consent, costing approximately $1500, plus electrical, sewer and building work, which would cost between $10,000 and $20,000, and she should speak to a builder, he said.
Council had now issued a notice to Thompson to fix her breach of the Building Act for the unconsented dwelling before December 22.
‘‘We look forward to continuing these discussions with her,’’ Wright said.