State homes turn into election issue | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

A woman who protested at the shifting of State houses to Featherston - on to land where new homes were supposed to be built - is keeping up a fight to preserve the neighbourhood.

Lee Carter has put her name forward for the Featherston Community Board on the issue, and with nominations equal to the number of board members needed will automatically be appointed after October local body elections.

Upper Hutt Developments originally intended a 20-lot subdivision in Lyon St for new housing, but applied on Tuesday for permission to move four former State houses there from Upper Hutt. When news of the company's intentions first filtered through, it angered home owners in Lyon St and other Featherston residents.

Mrs Carter and others protesters accept there is nothing they can legally do to stop the houses being shifted on to the land, but plan to ensure visual standards on the relocated houses are enforced. "As time passes, what will it evolve into, once you start at the lower end of the spectrum?" Mrs Carter said. "It's setting a precedent; what will happen to the other sections?"

Board chairman Garry Thomas said the board would watch progress in Lyon St. "We don't want derelict houses that are rented out," Mr Thomas said. "Under the Resource Management Act we can't stop it but we can have them brought to a specific standard."

Mrs Carter said she and husband Robin had bought in Lyon St expecting new houses would be built across the road.

"I'm not in Featherston for it to go backwards," she said.

She accepted the economic climate meant not many new houses were being built, and "people do need to be housed; you can't deny people that". But she questioned whether the rules should be changed to require relocatable houses to be more like 15 years old, instead of more than 50. "They're ex-State houses, which is 1940s. They're sturdy and sound, but they're not warm houses.

"It may be that the council needs to be more pro-active in saying, 'This is the expectation for buildings, and developing towns'."

South Wairarapa District Council planning and environment manager Rachel Hornsby said the subdivision, approved in 2008, was a separate issue from the relocations. Relocations were a controlled activity and the council was required to approve them, but could set conditions, including the exterior of homes being restored and repaired to the council planner's satisfaction within six months. That included at least:

- Cladding repairs/replacements.
- Window repairs/replacements.
- Installation of baseboards.
- General painting requirements.
- Replacing/repairing spouting and downpipes.
- General repairs from moving.

South Wairarapa District Council also collects a deposit from developers to ensure repairs and utilities connections are completed within a reasonable time. Ms Hornby said the subdivision would also have landscaping conditions.