Couple in quest for a kerb
It’s taken 10 years of complaining to the council but a New Plymouth couple are set to finally get a kerb outside their home – but only if they pay for a driveway.
Jackie Kenny and husband Steve have lived in their Welbourn Tce home for a decade and have gone to the New Plymouth District Council eight or nine times over their approximately 25-metre grass verge.
Every time the couple have complained the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) has told them there’s no money to install a mountable kerb edge – until now, that is.
‘‘Each time they have come back to say it is not a priority, there is no money in the budget, no plan for it to be assessed,’’ Kenny said.
However, on Thursday a woman from the council’s roading department called and said they would consider it, if the Kennys went ahead with consent for a second driveway entrance for their boat garage.
In New Zealand, a standard concrete driveway starts from about $190 per square metre.
The consent would cost another $900-$1500, Kenny said.
Kenny said they would like to plan for that eventually but right now they didn’t have the extra money for the easement and it felt as though council was giving the couple an ultimatum.
‘‘If we want our kerbing we’ll have to pay for this easement.’’
Kenny said she understood cars had to drive on it because the lane was so narrow, but in the winter their grass verge got badly damaged and it would be nice to have a mountable kerb edge.
‘‘The hubby and I have been going out putting out broken concrete and stones and things in amongst the grass verge there, because it just ploughs it to mud.
‘‘The continued driving on the grass verge, it’s pushed the soil and the grass so there’s a bit of a hump going on as well.’’
However, she said the council had put in yellow lines which at least prevented people from parking on their verge.
The second issue – damage to the tarmac immediately outside their driveway from heavy use – was not the council’s responsibility, even though there was no footpath.
NPDC infrastructure manager David Langford said in a statement the budget for installing new kerb and channel was removed in the past to keep rates affordable.
‘‘A small budget for new kerb and channel construction was reintroduced when the 10-Year Plan was approved earlier this year.
‘‘NPDC is now able to consider requests for new kerb and channel construction and our staff have already met with the resident.’’
Council has agreed to construct the kerb and channel but needed the resident to build a driveway across the grass berm so they could continue to access their carport, he said.
‘‘The cost of the kerb and channel is about $3000 which NPDC would pay for. The resident would pay for the driveway to the carport.
‘‘Constructing new vehicle driveways across the grass berm is the responsibility of the individual property owners.’’
When asked if the reintroduced budget would be used to improve kerbing in Waitara, which has been fighting for more kerbing and channelling for years, Langford said council would be looking at it on a caseby-case basis.