Countdown to save Selwyn Huts
Climate change could force residents of a historic Canterbury settlement to leave their homes.
The Selwyn Huts, near Lincoln, has a population of about 100 people. Many live there permanently.
The settlement has existed in some form since 1895. It is on Crown land administered by the Selwyn District Council, and hut owners have occupation licences which have been renewed on a five-yearly basis for about a century.
The long-term viability of the settlement has come under question in recent years because of its exposure to climate change.
It has raised the possibility of the licences not being renewed, which would effectively evict the community from the land, which they do not own. The council has confirmed there would be no compensation if the licences were not renewed.
If the council decides they must go, it could put in motion the first large-scale residential move in the country due to rising sea levels.
The Selwyn Huts sit near Lake Ellesmere, on land that is prone to flooding. The flooding is expected to worsen as a consequence of expected sea-level rise and more extreme rainfall.
It is the only community in Selwyn not connected to the district-wide sewerage system, and disposes of waste by treating effluent and spraying it onto land.
That resource consent expires in June next year, and is unlikely to be renewed due to stricter environmental rules. It means the community needs a new system, likely to cost several million dollars.
While a proposal to extend the licences and upgrade the sewerage system was informally put to councillors, they asked council staff to come up with more options.
It came after councillors sought a legal opinion on whether it could refuse to renew the licences.
‘‘I don’t think they’ve come to terms with the fact we’ve got 100 people living here,’’ said Graham Evans, whose family has owned a hut since 1923.
‘‘We’ve got a settlement here that’s working well together.’’
The issues with the wastewater system were first raised in 2015 but no action was taken.
Then, in early 2018, the residents became aware the council had sought the legal opinion, which was the first time they became aware their tenure was under question.
The council has until December this year to apply for a new wastewater consent, and residents are increasingly concerned time is running out.
‘‘Some of us have put all of our money into this,’’ said Susan Rogers, whose family has owned a hut for nearly a century.
‘‘We’ve got people who are retiring, who have got nowhere else to go.’’
Graeme Young had expected to live out his days in the huts.
‘‘I’m on a pension, I couldn’t afford to even rent anywhere,’’ he said.
For much of its history, hutowners were unable to live at the huts full time. The rule changed in 2015, prompting many owners to move there permanently, and others to buy affordable houses there.
Among them was Steve Curtis, who moved to the huts from Temuka. He now fears his investment
will be lost if the community is forced out.
‘‘It’s very stressful for lots of people here,’’ he said.
A working party set-up by the council, comprising the mayor, the chief-executive, and the three Springs ward councillors (who represent Selwyn Huts), had come up with the proposal to upgrade the sewerage and extend the licences.
It did not find favour with councillors, who will soon be formally presented with that option, along with others developed by staff, likely including refusal to renew the licences.
One of the councillors on the working party, Debra Hasson, said the council had a responsibility to take climate change seriously, but had to treat people fairly.
‘‘It would be unreasonable to tell the hut owners to leave in five years’ time,’’ she said.
‘‘You have to know all of the options and give time to develop a transitional plan.’’
In a statement, the council’s property and commercial manager, Douglas Marshall, said the council had met with members of the Selwyn Huts community regularly over several years.
He said the council did not have an obligation to the residents if the licences were not renewed.
‘‘A licence . . . gives an individual a right to place a building on land they do not own for a period of time based on certain conditions,’’ he said.
‘‘Because licences are generally renewed, there can be a false expectation that an individual will be able to occupy the land in perpetuity.’’
In the case of the Selwyn Huts, the occupied land was a reserve that could be used in future by the public, which must be considered alongside the climate change issues.
‘‘The challenge for licence holders is that because they do not own the land, a risk that they might have to remove their hut in the future is likely,’’ Marshall said.