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Rotary Club of Mosgiel members (from left) John Seddon, Fraser Ellis, Austin Banks and Kevin Dale...
Rotary Club of Mosgiel members (from left) John Seddon, Fraser Ellis, Austin Banks and Kevin Dale try out a Mosgiel treehouse they built that complies with the Building Act, after an earlier version was threatened with demolition. PHOTO: MIKE LORD
What may be the only code-compliant treehouse in Dunedin is sitting solidly in a Mosgiel tree after a community effort to save it.

The treehouse was rebuilt on Saturday after city councillor Mike Lord mustered friends from the Rotary Club of Mosgiel to help out.

The structure hit the headlines earlier this month after a complaint from a neighbour about privacy issues sparked a visit from Dunedin City Council staff, who ruled the treehouse breached section 17 of the Building Act 2004.

It required a building consent because the safety railing installed on the platform was more than 3m high.

Owner Janice Norman-Oke took exception and told media she thought the decision was ridiculous, though the council defended its decision, saying it had no choice but to uphold the law after it received the complaint.

Cr Lord said yesterday he and five other Rotarians, and a neighbour who was "just trying to be helpful, a really nice guy", pitched in on Saturday.

"It's good people doing the right thing and making it easy," he said of the effort.

He said Ms Norman-Oke was happy with the result, and her children thought the rebuilt treehouse was "really cool".

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No Comment from the neighbour yet LOL

 

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