Nightmare on Elm St
Retirement villagers irked by racing club’s re-siting of ugly building
It was his “little corner of paradise” — until the neighbours put a derelict house on the other side of his garden fence. Chris Thorley is among residents at an Auckland retirement village disgruntled by the Avondale Jockey Club’s decision to put the vandalised building next to their complex without warning.
“I used to have a lovely view of the Waitakere Ranges, now I have a roof and broken windows.”
The house was moved to the edge of the Avondale Racecourse site in the run-up to Christmas.
It used to be at the end of Elm St, opposite Rosehill Village, but had been badly vandalised since becoming vacant.
Thorley, who lives in one of 65 standalone units at the village, watched hopefully when people came to move the property.
“They started to move it and I thought, ‘oh great, it's going' as it was a real eyesore across the road. But then they plonked it right behind our fence. It's so close that I could knock on the window with a stick.”
Heritage Lifecare, which runs Rosehill Village, said there had been no communication about the relocation — before or since it happened.
Sales and operation manager Emma Earle said they were trying to find out if it was permitted.
“We are really disappointed with the location. I feel for the residents that it is affecting,” she said.
“We are making plans to alter the fence height because our number one priority is looking after the residents and making sure there is no impact on their lives.”
Avondale Jockey Club owns about
36 hectares of land, which includes the racecourse. Club president Allan Boyle said the house had been on jockey club land on Elm St for 30-40 years.
“Over the last few months, before the house was moved to its new position, it had been aggressively targeted by local vandals and presented an unsightly view to the villagers as well as the public,” he said.
“The club moved the house to its new location, north of its Elm St gate, in mid-December 2018.
“In doing so we have followed all of the requirements of Auckland Council relating to both moving and repositioning the house.”
Council documents approving the move said positive effects would be the retention and enhancement of a house that was unoccupied due to its dilapidated condition.
“The proposal will improve the foundations of the dwelling to ensure a longer life for the dwelling and provide quality housing for future applicants.”
Boyle said the club intended the house to be a base for “caretaker and on-site security needs”.
“The Rosehill villagers can rest assured that a full renovation, external and internal, is going to happen and [the villagers] will see a more attractive, well-presented dwelling,” he said.
“Our main staff return to work next week and the project is a top priority.”
We have followed all of the requirements of Auckland Council. Allan Boyle