Mt Pleasant dump site to be cleared after long wait

An empty section in Mt Pleasant is finally being cleaned up after eight years of complaints to Christchurch City Council fell on deaf ears.

The city council-owned 1001 sq-m section in Virginia Lane has been an illegal dumping ground for years; residents complaints go back to 2016.

Said long time resident Jo Doherty: “So many neighbours, past and present, have flagged this up with council, that there’s been dumping going on but nothing has been done for years.”

Doherty said she had routinely told the city council as far back as 2016 of a particular person she had seen dumping materials. That person had continued to dump rubbish over the years.

She said the city council’s response to her complaints was not good enough.

“It’s really disappointing. You just start lose faith in people (council staff),” she said.

Doherty complained again in February, and the council started the long awaited clean-up 15 days ago. The section will be clear by Friday.

The person Doherty had been complaining about was trespassed by the city council on Thursday. But the man told Bay Harbour News he considered it unfair he had been the only one targeted.

“There’s a number of people who used the property for different things – storing boats, materials same as me. I did probably have more stuff on it but I had an agreement with the original owner,” he said.

City council head of city growth and property Bruce Rendall would not provide an explanation to Bay Harbour News as to why it had taken eight years.

He said staff had not looked back into records to verify if the resident’s comments about how long they had been complaining were “accurate”.

“We have not undertaken a review of the history and neighbours claims so are unable to comment on the accuracy of this and the circumstances,” he said.

Staff were “focused on moving forward positively and rectifying the issues’’.

Doherty said concrete, polystyrene, general waste, building tools, wood, steel and chemicals have been dumped on the section since the original house was demolished, creating an eyesore and environmental threat to the nearby Glenstrae Stream.

“We live in such a beautiful area, I just can’t believe this has kept happening for so long.”

Rendall said investigations since September had to led to multiple people being suspected of illegal dumping.

He said the rubbish clean up will cost $6300 in total with an additional $2200 for further vegetation work on the site.

“If anything in particular is removed and disposed of that can be attributed to an individual, then that cost will be passed on.”

He said the city council is avoiding prosecutions over the dumping because of the high evidence threshold needed.

“The council is confident removal of the material can be undertaken at less cost to the ratepayers than the court process.”

On May 2, city council staff blocked access to the section with a concrete bollard to prevent any further dumping.