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Huta and Tui-Huta say it’s only a matter of time before a serious accident happens, even with the barriers. Huta said they complained several times to the council, but in January NPDC said it had no further plans for the crossing. Nonetheless, last month it completely blocked off the crossing with temporary bright orange plastic barriers to stop pedestrians using it. The council said this week the barriers would remain while it investigated a “safer option”. But even with the barriers up, Huta said pedestrians were skirting around them and crossing the road near the intersection, rather than use the pedestrian crossing further down the street towards the school.
The council had received two complaints and told her that her fence needed to be moved back a metre as it was on public land. But Hickling is fighting it. The NPDC s public places bylaw requires that no person may occupy a road, reserve, park, or airspace above a road, reserve or park for any purpose, unless that person has obtained an encroachment licence, airspace or subsoil lease or licence to occupy from the council, and paid the relevant fee. There is an application fee for a licence, and there might be an annual charge depending on the type of encroachment, “but at the heart of the matter is retaining access to public land”, Leitao said.
“It still boils down to ‘why me?’” “It s everybody complies, or everybody pays the encroachment fee, or you leave us be.”
SIMON O CONNOR/Stuff
The fence next door reaches as far out as Hickling s. New Plymouth District Council is currently working its way through 600 unauthorised encroachments across the district. In a statement, council transport manager Rui Leitao said many encroachments have long and complicated histories. “We work hard to find amicable solutions, as was the case with Baring Tce. “We’ve been talking with the owner for months to try and find an amicable solution. “It’s an issue because it intrudes on public land and we’ve had complaints about it.
Jai Huta and Amy Sao Tui-Huta, who own sportswear shopGamechangers at the intersection s corner, say they have witnessed multiple near misses on the crossing since opening the store five months ago. “The scary thing is people just don t slow down, and yes that s the driver s fault and that can t be controlled, but if there are measures put in place to protect people that s the best outcome, Huta said. “I guess our fear is to have to clean up a horrible mess if something happens.” And it will be even busier when school comes back at the end of the month, the couple said.