Legal action looms over car dump

Wanganui District Council will take legal action against the owner of a Durie Hill car dump.
Michael Johnston is storing at least 15 vehicles, plus some appliances, in a paddock he owns at the end of Durie Vale Rd.
The vehicles are parked progressively up the side of a gully.
In February 2003, the Chronicle reported two Durie Hill residents were sick of the dump and wanted the council to take action.
At the time environmental services manager Bob Davies said council would take legal action against Mr Johnston. Under the Resource Management Act, cars could not be stored on rural or residential property.
However, Mr Johnston's car collection is still there.
A woman who called the Chronicle described it as "a real eyesore" and "pollution". Senior resource management planner Shane McGhie said no legal action had been taken against Mr Johnston regarding the Durie Vale Rd site, as there had been "mitigating circumstances".
Mr McGhie said that, for legal reasons, he couldn't say what these circumstances were. However, legal action would be taken against Mr Johnston within the month.
Mr Johnston told the Chronicle last week he hoped to remove all the vehicles within the next month, taking them to a piece of land that was appropriately zoned.
He had planted trees on the berm to act as a screen (at the moment the trees are about knee-high).
Mr Johnston, who didn't appear well when the Chronicle spoke to him, said he'd been sick and had got behind.
Last year he told the Chronicle the cars were a hobby and he planned to restore them ? he didn't intend to keep the cars there long-term.
Durie Vale Rd resident Lindsay Barrow said he approached the council some 18 months ago about the dump and had been given "three promises" that council action was under way.
While he understood the required paper trail took time, he didn't think it should take 18 months.
Instead of cars disappearing from the paddock, more were arriving every month.
Mr Barrow estimated there were close to 40 vehicles stored on the site, stretching up the gully.