Kate Hawkesby: Elongated period of uncertainty part of ongoing nightmare for Bella Vista residents

Bella Vista homes in The Lakes subdivision. Photo / File.

COMMENT:

It's very sad to hear the Tauranga Council is dragging the chain on the Bella Vista problems.

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. When has a council ever acted with speed?

But we are now 44 or 45 days and counting from when the council said it would purchase the damaged homes, and still nothing.

The owners of these homes, and I have spoken with quite a few of them on the Early Edition show on Newstalk ZB over the past few months, all have a terrible story to tell.

They have pretty much all been through a harrowing experience in some form or other.

This elongated period of uncertainty must be part of an ongoing and seemingly neverending nightmare for them.

They don't even have clarity on what the purchase of their properties actually means and they continue to be held ransom to delays.

The latest is a delay to purchase negotiations as more invasive testing on their homes' foundation walls has been requested. One homeowner described this news as a spit in the face. Could council not have done that sometime over the past seven weeks?

Homeowners are understandably feeling isolated and unsupported.

How are they supposed to get on with their lives when they are still in limbo?

It's a disappointing reality that when these things are front and centre in the media, there's usually action and attention, and yet as soon as the spotlight is off, so is the action.

The onus is therefore on their local representatives to keep up the hustle.

The Mayor of Tauranga needs to be transparent and up front on this. The councillors need to act in good faith and show goodwill. Communication here is key, because what happens in an abyss of communication is rumour and innuendo.

That in turn creates more upset and angst.

The rumour mill of course has been in overdrive. Rumours that the council was considering offering to buy out their build contracts rather than selling at a market price as if the homes had no defects.

That kind of thing just leads to more uncertainty and anxiety, which is why the council and the mayor need to be up front.

The mayor said, in what must be the understatement of the year, he thought the residents might be hoping for some more communication and a quicker resolution.

So if you know that, why isn't it happening?

And speaking of clear communication, closed door meetings like yesterday's probably don't help.

When you're dicking people around, being transparent and open about what it is you're actually doing or saying is the very least you can do.