24 July 2013

Court accepts council application to demolish unsafe house

The Rotorua District Court has ordered the demolition of a derelict house at 22 Exeter Place in Tihi-o-Tonga.

A court ruling by Judge Chris Maguire on Friday [19 July] follows an application by Rotorua District Council (RDC) for the house to be pulled down on the grounds of its serious safety risk.

RDC Building Services Manager Darrell Holder says the house has not been lived in for many years, but in more recent times had increasingly become a safety and fire risk. He said a fire in the premises had already damaged the structure and made the building even more substantially unsafe.

As a result a dangerous and insanitary building notice was placed on the property in November last year [2012], deeming the building unsafe to enter and an on-going risk to neighbouring properties.

“Over the years we’ve attempted to work with the owner and encourage him to make the house safe, but to no avail. It’s certainly a last resort to have go through a lengthy court process securing an order to demolish most of the house to render it safe. But public safety has to remain our priority.

Mr Holder said the property owner now had 20 days from the date of the judge’s ruling to appeal the court decision.

“After the appeal period is over, and assuming there’s no further delay ordered by the court, we’ll be contracting a demolition company to remove the two top floors of the house down to the block basement and foundation level.

“The cost of the demolition process would become a charge registered against the property and if not paid in the meantime, those costs and accrued interest would be recouped by the council when the property was sold.”

Mr Holder asked people to stay away from of the property until the demolition work had been undertaken, as it remained a safety hazard.

ENDS

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