It’s Time For North Shore Council To Pay Up

It’s Time For North Shore City Council To Come Clean And Pay Up

The development community expects North Shore City Council to pay up as per the interim ruling of the High Court dated 1 August 2007.

That is the view expressed by Connal Townsend, Chief Executive of the Property Council of New Zealand, following a High Court interim ruling against North Shore City Council. The Plaintiffs have applied for $328,000 in accordance with the High Court Schedule. The High interim ruling confirms that the plaintiffs are entitled to 90 per cent of the costs incurred relating to North Shore City Council’s development contributions review.

“North Shore City Council has wasted the High Court’s time and probably hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to defend its indefensible 2004 development contributions policy. Now it’s time for North Shore City Council to cut its losses, pay up and get back to the task at hand: adopting a development contributions policy that actually complies with the law,” Connal Townsend said.

“For several years North Shore City councillors and officers have systematically ignored the best advice tendered by countless submitters, who warned that it was pursuing a policy that was not in compliance with the Local Government Act 2002.

“Having ignored that advice, those same councillors and officers have exposed North Shore City ratepayers to a judicial review that will cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars. And when North Shore City Council has to refund the plaintiffs the money obtained in accordance with its illegal development contributions policy, the financial hit on the council’s balance sheet will run into millions of dollars.

“This fiasco will only stop when North Shore City Council takes the necessary steps to comply with the instructions of the High Court and the law,” Connal Townsend said.

ENDS

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