Tenants fight backyard land grab

Jocelyn Taylor under the walnut tree she planted in the threatened back garden of her Glendowie home. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Elderly state house tenants in Auckland's eastern suburbs are rebelling against Housing New Zealand plans to take their backyards for infill housing.

Retired people who have lived in their homes for decades have called in Tamaki MP Allan Peachey to help them to fight the bid to take their backyards without compensation.

The corporation is under pressure to meet a target of 2400 new state houses in Auckland by June 2009 and is already under fire over a plan to boost the Talbot Park precinct in Glen Innes from 167 homes to 219.

In Cranbrook Place, Glendowie, it has asked 69-year-old widow Jocelyn Taylor, her 97-year-old neighbour and two other families to give up their backyards for four new houses backing on to Taylors Hill, an ancient pa site named after ancestors of Mrs Taylor's late husband.

In Holland Ave, Pt England, it wants to build three four-bedroom houses on the back halves of three existing tenancies.

Mrs Taylor, who has lived in her house for 45 years, and Holland Ave residents Donna and Gordon Bruce, who have been in their home for 20 years, have been told the corporation will give them 90 days' notice to leave unless they sign variations to their tenancy agreements giving up their backyards.

They are refusing to sign.

"This is senior-bashing at its worst," Mrs Taylor said.

"I have beautiful trees. I have a walnut tree - you know how long it takes for it to bear fruit. The whole of the backyard was planted by my husband and me. I have no objection to them building, but I want to have a little bit of a backyard."

She is also worried about who might move into the proposed new houses and prefers a suggestion from Mr Peachey that the land should be sold to private homebuyers.

Mr Bruce, 58, said the Holland Ave plans would put high fences only 1.6m and 1.8m from his home on two sides. He said the corporation promised consultation two years ago, then made no contact until it had a completed plan cutting his section from almost 1000 sq m to 410 sq m.

"I accept the fact that they own the land and they have to develop the properties for people with social needs. But we have been treated as though we were subsidiary to the whole process - no communication for 20 months, then one day, 'This is what we're going to do'."

A Housing NZ spokeswoman said the three Holland Ave sections had a combined area of 2519 sq m, and the five at Cranbrook Place totalled 5000 sq m. They were much bigger than the average Auckland section.

One family at Holland Ave would have to move out temporarily while their house was moved, but otherwise all three tenants there and all those at Cranbrook Place would be able to stay in their homes.

"Issuing a 90-day notice to end a tenancy would always be an absolute last resort following a lengthy period of discussions with the tenant.

"Issuing a 90-day notice to end the tenancy doesn't necessarily mean tenants have to vacate their property. By mutual agreement they can remain living at the property if they sign a new tenancy agreement that reflects the change in the property's size and new boundaries," she said.

Mr Peachey said he was advising the tenants not to sign variations until they were happy with them.