DUMP: Household rubbish is building up at one house in Bellingham Cres with residents saying it's a health hazard. PHOTO/Ben Fraser
DUMP: Household rubbish is building up at one house in Bellingham Cres with residents saying it's a health hazard. PHOTO/Ben Fraser
The issue of derelict houses in Fordlands has once again reared its ugly head with residents calling for them to be torn down.
There are at least three empty residential properties in Bellingham Cres that have been vandalised with graffiti, subjected to an arson attack and have transformed into the local rubbish dump for items such as mattresses, plastic chairs and household waste.
Last year, one home was deemed a fire risk under the Local Government Act, which allowed the council to clean it up. About 36 tonnes of rubbish was removed costing $5000 in landfill fees.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said the "eyesores" had been a problem for years and she was sick of having to look at them.
"The owners or council should bloody well take responsibility for them, either burn them or knock them down and then you will only have the lawns to worry about," she said.
"It's not safe for the kids and we often find them inside [a two-storey property] and yelling for them to get out."
ERELICT: Fordlands residents say this property, which was subject to an arson attack, is a danger to children. PHOTO/BEN FRASER
Another resident said it was the young people who were responsible for the state the houses were in.
"The houses did get boarded up and rubbish removed, but the kids around here are so tutu (mischievous), they're wreckers and have everything to do with how the places are right now and their parents know about it.
"They either turn a blind eye to it or deny that it's their kids," she said.
Office manager of the Fordlands Community Centre, Rosina Tamiau said the organisation had "countless times" cleaned up rubbish from the houses without the support of the owners.
"We've had enough of the whole thing, the council have their hands tied and we can't do anything more," she said.
"We have tried to get the owners to take action and no response, it's like flogging a dead horse.
"You can only do so much and the majority of us are trying hard for the area to look nice and then drive straight into that sight.
"We have untold times taken rubbish to the dump and the owner is loving it because someone else is doing his dirty work," Mrs Tamiau said.
"It's a hazard for the children and for people who have never been to Fordlands before.
"They may drive through seeing these houses and think that's what the people in the neighbourhood are like and they're nowhere near it."
EYESORE: Empty homes in Bellingham Cres have been broken into and are a target for vandalism. PHOTO/ Ben Fraser
The Rotorua Daily Post contacted one of the owners of the properties, but he declined to comment.
Rotorua District Council building services manager Darrell Holder said they felt for the residents who had to put up with such eyesores.
"In some cases the council has been able to respond by removing tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish from sections and in others we've been cutting down heavily overgrown grass.
"Unfortunately this work comes at a substantial cost to ratepayers and so we're taking legal action to recoup that expenditure direct from property owners," Mr Holder said.
"The council is also working with the police, and using our own powers, to require property owners to make problem houses secure as we share police concerns that certain dwellings are being used for criminal activities."
Residents were advised to call police if they noticed any illegal activities taking place in or around the empty homes.