NPDC set to appear in High Court over Bell Block project
The New Plymouth District Council is set to appear before the High Court at Wellington in July, after a Bell Block business filed a judicial review.
The issue at stake is a development project that would see 38 build-to-rent one-bedroom apartments built in a Bell Block industrial area.
The Ministry of Urban Housing and Development defines “build-to-rent” as a type of medium to high-density residential development, specifically built to provide long-term rental housing.
The council gave the apartment complex the green light in April last year by granting a certificate of compliance under its previous Operative District Plan.
But when the news of the apartment complex was announced, it drew mixed reaction from the surrounding community.
Some business owners opposed the project because they said it posed safety risks for future tenants, whereas housing advocates said it was a much-needed development for New Plymouth.
The judicial file review has been filed by Endurance Holdings Limited, a development company that owns land on Connett Rd, where the housing project was going to be built.
Endurance Holdings, JT Investment and New Plymouth District Council were due to appear before the High Court at Wellington on July 22.
J T Investment is the company that applied for a certificate of compliance and will be a defendant alongside the council.
The judicial review would look at how the council made a decision about the apartment complex project in Bell Block and whether it was made in accordance with the law.
After reviewing the decision, the court has the power to reverse the decision taken by the council or ask it to make a new decision.