Council eyes $80,000 owed

Lower Hutt’s council is missing out on nearly $80,000 a year in fees from property owners encroaching on public land.

Gardens, fences, garages and drainage reserves spilling over to council land are going mostly uncontrolled, leaving council’s pockets tens of thousands of dollars lighter thanks to the unclaimed licence fees.

And the council needs every cent, with mayor Campbell Barry announcing a possible average 7.9 per cent rates rise to tackle a budget deficit.

A draft report to the policy finance and strategy committee details four types of encroachment on council land.

One allows a business to use part of the pavement outside its premises to set up tables and chairs for diners.

Seven of these encroachments are licensed, but the council has identified 42 more that are unlicensed.

“We currently have a minority of ratepayers using public land for their own benefit being subsidised by the majority of ratepayers and those who pay their license fee annually,” the report said.

Now council is looking at cracking down on the unpaying parties in a staggered approach, starting with the pavement licences.

The biggest area for unlicensed encroachment is with gardens, where property owners’ gardens and fences are partly on the road reserve.

With encroachments under 10sq m and ones with a legitimate function removed, 547 remain to be licensed.

A report outlining options will go before community boards this month for consideration.