Hedge hassle

Back in 2007, I sold an few metres of road frontage to the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) at their request.

On that road frontage, there was a row of 20 foot high trees that had been there for 25 years but were starting to die out, so I removed them at my cost (approximately $20,000). This is nine years after the council took over the extra land.

I replaced those trees with an almost 3/4 kilometre Griselinia hedge. Six months after planting them, I got a letter from the council to asking to remove the trees as they are on council land. I removed about 50 plants which were on a corner, as I considered that it was just a visibility problem and the other plants were all on the straight.

More letters came, stating that Powerco don’t want the trees there. After contacting a Powerco representative, he assured me that the trees posed no problem to them, provided that they are kept to two metres high. I had already given the NPDC a written assurance that they would be cut to a height of two metres. I also gave written assurance that I would remove the hedge, at my cost, if the road was realigned.

The council still have five metres of road frontage outside of the hedge, which is more than any other person on Egmont Road from the Hillsborough Hall north to Devon Road.

All of the road frontages on this stretch of road are growing weeds and generally untidy. So much for the council saying they will look after the road frontages.

I have thought that logic would prevail as a beautification program at my cost should be of benefit to the council. But the council staff (at least the three that I have been dealing with), don’t know the meaning of logic. The mayor and his deputy have to be included as they are familiar with the situation via emails from me.

On the 16th March 2018, I received a letter telling me to remove the hedge by the March 31 and plant them inside my roadside fence. This will require another fence to be built inside of the new fence to protect the hedge at a cost of about $5000.00. Anyone should know that in order to move these plants, they will have to be wrenched and moved in winter.

I’m sure I’m not the only one victimised in this way. I know why our rates keep going up and there is talk of selling community land (i.e. golf courses to fund projects) because we are governed by plonkers.

In the late 1980s the NPDC bestowed upon me an Honorary Ambassador award for services to the community. This tree issue is a joke.

John Wheeler

Egmont Road