Cr Andrew Whiley will put forward a motion at today’s meeting acknowledging public concerns about the council’s interpretation of national rules for assessing lead contaminants in soil when developing properties — and asking staff to seek formal guidance from the Ministry for the Environment.
Cr Whiley told the Otago Daily Times he was aware council staff were following an independent report prepared by surveyor Stantec.
"Staff have been doing what was asked based on the information staff have been provided.
"So it’s not about questioning staff and all that.
"It’s about actually, was the Stantec advice the right advice ... Are we wrong or are we right? We don’t know."
Cr Whiley said the council needed to urgently contact the Ministry for the Environment about the enforcement standards required.
"I would say, let’s get some facts , and let’s work from facts, rather than the view of Stantec .
"If the Ministry of Environment come back and say, Stantec is right on what this is about, then fine."
Cr Whiley acknowledged lead in soils was a serious issue.
"But let’s work with the facts and actually get the clarity, because right now I’m struggling with the fact that we’re the only council in the country applying this process, but also the level of application we’re applying to it."
Last week, Dunedin philanthropist Roger Fewtrell said he had to pay $100,000 to remove soil from a Russell St property; his frustrations have been shared by a group of Dunedin businesses, led by Terramark planning manager Darryl Sycamore, who wrote to Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop asking him to intervene.
Mr Sycamore said yesterday he had heard about the councillor’s motion.
"It’s pleasing to see the matter being considered by councillors, as national regulations should be applied generally consistently across New Zealand.
"Of the 36 councils we have discussed the issue with, only one follows a generally similar approach to that of the Dunedin City Council. The others do not.
"The council’s interpretation is not supported by Ministry for Environment and that is adding significant costs on many."
Cr Whiley said there were also a lot of "mum and dad" examples, because a large proportion of wood-built properties built before 1945 in Dunedin would have lead-contamination issues.
"It’s affecting the mums and dads that are wanting to add a couple of bedrooms to the house and it’s adding some serious expense. In some cases, it’s $30,000 plus to their extension."
Cr Whiley said he hoped the issue could be resolved as soon as the council received guidance from the Ministry for the Environment.
Cr Carmen Houlahan shared Cr Whiley’s concerns.
"As chair of the customer and regulatory committee I voiced concerns when I was first told about this legislation about the potential risk it could have on most properties in our city due to the age of our buildings.
"I have voiced my concerns numerous times to staff and I will work with other councillors to try to mitigate this problem. It is not sustainable for developers to keep paying these huge costs. All these costs will then be transferred to the cost of a home, making it unaffordable to buy here."
