Second Whanganui family speaks out after being told to remove cabin

This cabin on a property in Aramoho, Whanganui, has been there for two years but the district council has now told the owners to remove or relocate it.

A second Whanganui family has hit out at the district council after being asked to remove a cabin from their front yard.

Aramoho resident Scott Murray was issued with a letter saying he had until March 17 to remove or relocate the building, or apply for resource consent with a deposit of $2100.

If it remained, the council would “consider instigating formal enforcement proceedings”.

Last year, Durie Hill couple Rachael and Mike Woodhead battled the council over a cabin at the front of their property that housed their niece, who had moved from Whangārei.

They were issued a $750 fine after refusing to remove it but the council has since delayed legal proceedings.

Murray said his son lived in the cabin, which had been in place for two years.

“He can’t afford to pay [market] rent but he works fulltime and tries his best to pay his way,” he said.

“There are a lot of people out there struggling and what do you do?

“You could try and cram a whole bunch of adults into a house, which puts pressure on everybody, or you have somewhere they can sleep and have a bit of privacy.”

The council’s district plan says accessory buildings at the front of principal buildings “can dominate property frontages, undermine streetscape uniformity and, if not sited appropriately, obscure views of buildings from the street”.

Council chief executive David Langford says the review of the district plan could take years. Photo / NZME

Cabins are permitted on the back or the side of a property but neither the Woodheads nor Murrays have room there.

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford said a review of the district plan was under way but, because of the scope of the work, it could take years to complete.

In the meantime, council officers were “duty bound” to follow up on complaints from residents.

“We are trying to take a pragmatic approach to managing these situations until the review process is completed,” Langford said.

“The team will be working with the property owner to see if we can come to a sensible solution in the interim.”

Murray said he had no idea who complained to the council about the cabin.

“We know all the neighbours and everything is absolutely fine. It’s a great little community.

“It’s a nice, aesthetically pleasing little unit and our garden is pretty immaculate too.

“I guess anyone driving down your street can complain if they see something they don’t like.”

Langford said there would likely be changes to the district plan following the review, including “cutting some red tape” to streamline future development.

“One of the goals of the review is calling into question rules that, on face value, look like they fail the common sense test,” he said.

“We are not rushing to take enforcement action while it’s under way; those tools are our options of last resort.

“Cabins are serving a purpose in terms of providing a place for people to live, which is what we need.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.