Half-cost path resident ‘can’t fathom’ how she’ll maintain property access
When Nuala O’Connor received a letter from Wellington City Council saying that it would no longer contribute to maintaining the sole access path to her home, she was confused how that would practically work.
Unlike her neighbours, O’Connor’s property is completely surrounded and her only access to the street is by a zig-zagging pedestrian footpath cut into the hill.
Under the status quo in her area, the residents maintain the flat part of the path adjacent to their properties while the council looks after the tricky hill part.
But O’Connor said she’s no idea how they’re supposed to carry that out themselves. “These property here have a path around the back that goes into the park. So they have a choice whether to use this. I have no other way to get anywhere.
“I can’t waterblast it because I’ve no access to electricity or water anywhere near by. And when I read the letter again, it mentioned the retaining walls which are massive.
“I can’t even fathom how we would do it.” O’Connor had lived in her home in Karori for 26 years and said there had never been any implication the rules would change until now.
She said that while the neighbours coordinated how to maintain the path outside their homes, the council did minimal upkeep to the path as it was.
“They did put a new handrail at the bottom and a new fence in up the top. But I don’t know how many times I’ve almost slipped.
“It can be quite dangerous for the postman.”
Over 1000 Wellington homeowners like O’Connor have been told that the council no longer wants to pay for path maintenance on its land, though ownership of the land would not be transferred.
Existing, but set-to-be revoked, policy for council paths with sole access to three or more private properties is that the council pays half the cost of maintenance.
But the council has told 1018 property owners on 288 paths that the policy dating to 1934 is up for review, and it is looking to hand all costs and responsibility to homeowners. Paths used as thoroughfares are exempt.
The council has asked for feedback on the plan, with five options put forward ranging from staying with the status quo through to the council’s preference, handing all costs to homeowners.
O’Connor said she was still considering her options. “I’ll be talking to the neighbours to see what they think. Housing New Zealand owns two properties here so I’m not sure how they’ll be involved.
“I’ll be talking to them, talking to the council, make my submission, and I guess we’ll see what happens.”
The council – struggling under the weight of a pipes bill of billions of dollars over coming years, a$147m cost blow out on fixing the Town hall, and an array of big spends such as reopening the central library – has already imposed three years of big rate rises on residents and is looking at another.
But it is also looking at cuts such as shorter pool opening hours, and proposing making coupon parking zones, where the first two hours are free, metered parking.
O’Connor said it was a situation that “wasn’t good for anyone”.
“They were looking at handing it back to property owners to deal with in the future but I think they said that they would bring things up to a standard before they would do this.
“It’s just not good for either property owners or the council.”