Selwyn District Council will make the final decision on the future deed of licence for Upper Selwyn Huts on September 17 after deliberating on the submissions for over four hours on August 21.
The district councillors on the hearing panel were leaning towards a recommendation of a 30-year license period that can be renewed.
There was no support for the environmental triggers (such as major flood events) that could terminate the licences, but plenty of debate around introducing a bond for future land remediation.
The first fishing huts at the settlement were built in 1888 and, over time, more buildings were added for temporary use.
But some huts have become home to permanent residents, with the district council issuing 96 occupancy licences and locals estimating about 150 people live at the settlement.
In 2017, the district council explored the options of refusing to renew licences or to renew them for a lesser term, and decided in 2019 that the licences and renewals were "short-term and ultimately for a finite period”.
The deliberations followed 209 submissions, in which 86% indicated that they opposed a closing date for the settlement being imposed, a message that was heard loud and clear at the hearings on August 7.
The district council had proposed three options - a five-year fixed term with no renewal, a single fixed term of 30 years, or rolling 10-year terms with the ability to renew, up to a maximum of 30 years.
Almost 70% of submitters didn’t select any of those options.
Cr Lydia Gliddon supported 30 years without a fixed end date as she didn’t have a “strong why”.
“Of why we would say you need to leave your homes”.
An end date is “arbitrary and unnecessary and forces retreat before science justifies it”.
Cr Grant Miller said there is no immediate reason to withhold a license, but the community needed to know of the significant ongoing risks.
“There is going to come a time that this community becomes unviable.”
He cautioned against a blanket 30-year licence and instead supported three 10-year periods to allow for regular reviews.
The councillors didn’t support the environmental triggers that had been consulted on, with Cr Elizabeth Mundt describing them as “quite pathetic”.
“The reality is, everybody has an expectation if their property is flooded once or twice in their lifetime, that they get the cleaners in and they sort it out - that’s quite normal.
Upper Selwyn Huts Owners Association spokesperson Kirrily Fea told the Selwyn Times the direction the council was heading in was a relief.
“If they vote on the 30 years and they do not put non-renewable on it, then it’s something we can sign and we will be able to move on.”
Fea said she was surprised to see the council “do a 180” on its previous decisions, but believed oral submissions two weeks ago contributed to it.
Fea said residents did not want inspections other parts of the district were not subject to.
“We just want to be treated like everybody else.”
Resident Cara Te Ngaru, who got married at the huts in 2016, was hopeful this would be the end, but is still waiting for the final confirmation.
“I won’t have relief until I have the new licence in front of me to sign… at the moment it seems too good to be true.”
Mayor Sam Broughton said in summary of the councillors’ comments that “there's very little appetite for the [environmental] triggers that were consulted on and there's legal risk if we introduce new triggers”.
The councillors noted that renegotiating the lake opening protocols is looming large, as it will determine the trigger point the lake levels and when it is able to be opened to the sea.
Introducing a bond to recover future remediation costs at the end of a license term was a divisive issue, and will likely be a cause for debate on September 17.
Broughton said the decision on the bond may be down to the cost, which would be an annual plan discussion.
The suggestion was that a bond could be included in the licence, initially at $0, until it is discussed at the next annual plan or a future district council decides it is required.
The final consideration was introducing building condition inspections, which didn’t garner much support from the councillors.
Councillors supported a new 30-year licence, but with some consideration to options for some form of regular review.
The current licence fee expired on July 1, but due to the consultation process, it was extended to July 1, 2026.
The decision report will come to the council meeting on September 17.
-By Local Democracy reporter Jonathan Leask and Allied Media reporter Daniel Alvey
