Editorial: Industry not ideal neighbour

Ahuriri resident Louise Ludlow has sold her house beside the suburb's container park after enduring two years of noise from the neighbouring facility.

The ideal place to live varies from person to person. Some people love the hustle and bustle of high-rise, big city living, while others could not think of anything worse, preferring the peace and quiet of the countryside.

Each to their own, I say, as long as you are happy in your surroundings. Your home is your castle and as long as the roof doesn't leak and you are warm at night, everything should be alright.

Sometimes you hear stories of people who move into an area near a sports stadium and then complain about the noise, or lifestylers who move out into the country and moan about the smell of nature (or manure). They knew where they were moving.

But you have to have sympathy for someone who buys a house in an area, only to have the environment change with the introduction of a new neighbour.

This is the case of Ahuriri resident Louise Ludlow, who has sold her house because of a noisy container park next to her house. The owner of the park, NZL Group, says it is planning to move out of the suburb in a bid to end what has become a three-way fight between them, Ms Ludlow and the Napier City Council. It seems the council was given permission two years ago to operate the park as a "mixed use" activity, but noise levels have increased since then.

The noise and shaking ground has proved too much for Ms Ludlow - she has sold her house. It is a tricky situation because the suburb is next door to the port and there is a need for easy access, but at what cost. While the noise may not be Ms Ludlow's problem anymore, I am sure that it is for other residents of the area.

It sounds like the company is trying to find a solution to the problem, but the council needs to ensure a speedy solution is found to resolve the matter.

One thing is for certain, container parks do not belong in suburbs.