Roadside trees cause council concern
A request to buy a section of road off the Southland District Council has left councillors wondering if they are sitting on a ticking time bomb.
At a council meeting on Wednesday, councillors were asked to approve a request to reduce the width of a portion of Saleyard Rd at Castlerock and sell it to the neighbouring landowner.
The road, which connects State Highway 94 and provides access to the Oreti river, is about 40 metres wide, double the normal road width, and has a shelter belt of trees on the eastern side.
The neighbouring landowner has asked the council to half off the road, and transfer the land to them so they can cut down the trees and replant them.
The landowner wanted to cut down the trees before they got blown over in the wind.
Many of the councillors questioned whose responsibility the trees were because they were on council land but the council did not plant them.
This raised concerns there could be similar situations occurring throughout Southland and the council could be held responsible if trees fell.
Cr Brian Dillon said it seemed important that whoever owned the land should own what was on it.
Chief executive Steve Ruru said they could spend a lot of time searching the archives to see who owns the trees in this situation but that might not yield any results.
Cr Ebel Kramer wanted to know who was liable if a tree planted by someone else on council land fell down.
Council strategic property manager Kevin McNaught said the council never had reason to look at the trees, or the particular stretch of road until the landowner had come to them with the proposal.
It would be illegal for the landowner to replant trees where they currently stand is on council land.
McNaught knew there were cases of many trees planted close to roadsides, but said the roading team would be better placed to comment about the situation.
In this case, though, the landowner was willing to pay for the survey of the land, buy the land and pay to have the trees cut down, McNaught said.
Cr John Douglas said he had driven down the road last week and he believed that the trees were a danger.
Douglas supported the transfer of the road to the owner because it was a practical way forward to let the landowner deal with them.
Group manager services and assets Matt Russell said policy introduced 18 years ago prevented the planting of trees on road margins.
The council was trying to be proactive and manage any trees that were planted before the policy came into effect.
The councillors voted in support of the transfer of the section of road to the landowner.
Also, the councillors had it noted that the landowner requested that a portion of the road be stopped and transferred to them to allow the replanting to happen on their own property.