Relief as debris cleared from squatters' site on Worcester St

An abandoned central Christchurch property plagued by squatters, rubbish and vermin has finally been cleared, bringing relief to frustrated neighbours.

More than 50 complaints were made to Christchurch City Council about the Worcester St site over the past five years.

Citycare workers and contractors spent two days last week removing structures and clearing rubbish and vegetation.

Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines said several people had been living on the section, which backs onto the City Mission.

She said it was difficult for them to find suitable accommodation when the mission’s emergency housing was full.

In March, The Star highlighted a homeless man known as Dan who had built a large makeshift structure using materials from “the side of the road”.

Haines said Dan was “relocated of his own accord”.

She said others living in a small building at the rear of the property had also moved on.

A city council spokesperson said those on site were offered help from the City Mission and Housing First Ōtautahi to find alternative accommodation but “did not want to engage”.

The city council acted after investigating complaints and determining the site met the legal definition of a health nuisance.

It successfully applied to the district court for orders “directing the property owners to clear the site within five working days or the council would be entitled to do this work and recover associated costs from the owners.”

However, the owners could not be personally served as they could not be located, so the orders were sent to their last known addresses.

“We have good reason to believe these have been received by multiple owners of the property,” the spokesperson said.

After five days with no response, the city council worked with other agencies and contractors to clear the site.

A fence will remain in place and the property will continue to be monitored.