How Close You Get

When the joint government announcement came several years ago one point of it did not hit home for several months. Until Tow story houses started appearing as close as the legislation allowed to a property's perimeter.

1 Meter (3 feet)

Unless you raise hell with the council you risk having patio doors and large windows facing your property which robs you of any privacy (see my last post about the patio doors looking down on a Glen Road garden).

Check out this photo. This is how close the houses are to our garden fence. Sorry about the fence taking up half the shot but it gives you an idea about how invasive the developments are. To their credit Urban Plus have taken into account the proximity of the three houses over the fence and adjusted the angle of the houses.  How effective this is remains to be seen until the trees I planted grow to a good height.

They have also undertaken to leave the trees at the edge of the site alone. There are several well established trees are a roost for Tuis, Moreporks and Kereru and in summer their calls are almost miraculous on a still night.

Gardens Not Welcome

There are no individual gardens in the bulk of the developments on the Hutt Valley.  In their haste to build plain and unaffordable houses ($700,000 is beyond many working people) many developers feel there is no need to allow a green space for individual homes. 

If new residents are fortunate they will get a small Lancewood, a cherry blossom tree (non-native) or malnourished clump of grass similar to that found in urban parks (used there because it is known to be sturdy and durable and don't need much looking after). 

I am not sure how this is meant to enhance the properties but maybe there is something I don't know about the attraction of these non-natives and grasses to birds. 

Noise

The past three months have not been encouraging and the most baffling behavour of all is the insistence of playing loud radio noise inspite of diggers being constantly active. The digger noise is getting really wearing for those not lucky enough to have full-time jobs. 

As the weather improves I forsee a need to contact Hutt Council.