Greens urge end to washing-line bans

Apartment dwellers have a right to hang their clothes from balconies for sound environmental reasons, the Green Party has said.

Green MP Sue Bradford has called on the Government to require developers to include areas for drying clothes and space for recycling bins when building.

She said the Government also needed to intercede with body corporate rules which ban residents drying clothes on balconies, saying such a rule was "totally irresponsible."

"Forcing people to use clothes driers for purely aesthetic reasons is ridiculous. It seems almost inconceivable that in an age where preservation of our limited energy resources is critical, we are asking people to use power needlessly."

However, Lloyd Klee, chairman of the Westhaven-Viaduct Tenants and Ratepayers' Association, said it was a ludicrous idea, especially in highly visual areas like the Viaduct where cruise ships nestled next to apartment buildings.

He doubted people would use the balconies even if they were allowed to.

"Do they want it to look like a Hong Kong laundry? You know what happens when you hang your clothes up and the sparrows perch above it? I'm sure seagulls will make a bigger mess."

Some apartment dwellers were more receptive. Dina Jezdic said there was no outside area of her ground-floor apartment in Parliament St, but rather than use the communal driers she took washing to her upstairs neighbour, who had rigged up a line on the balcony.

"I think it looks kind of charming. It shows people do actually live in these places - they are not just buildings - and just like anywhere else, you have to hang up your washing. Besides, the drier costs us quite a bit and it ruins your clothes. We have got a drier and a laundry downstairs which is communal. A few people have put up lines, but I think you're expected to use the driers."

Ms Kedgley said architects and developers should go further by using green techniques such as rain collectors, solar energy collectors and insulation.

Body Corporate Associates director Wally Cowl said rules banning balcony drying were widespread.

"It is largely for aesthetic reasons. I like the idea of grassed outside areas and clothes lines but developers use up all the land they can get - so in the inner city, especially for tower blocks, the best possibility would be on flat roofs.

"One of the better ones you will see is Freeman's Park, which has about 200 apartments and several rotary lines outside on the green areas."

He said most blocks did provide separate bins for recyclable rubbish.

Bruce Holdsworth, developer of Latitude 37 in the Viaduct, said the suggestions were not practical.

"You've got a high-rise building with 150 apartments in the centre of the city. Where do you put a clothes line? And how do you police it so someone doesn't nick your clothes?"

Developer Patrick Fontein, a member of the Auckland Council's advisory urban design panel, said some of the ideas, such as better insulation, had merit.

However, he said the majority of apartment dwellers did not want neighbours washing hanging from the building.

"For similar reasons our developments have specific curtain linings, so from the outside it looks more appealing."