Let's Play A Game

Spot the difference anyone?

Did you spot it? We have a lovely newish feature in our backyard courtesy of our neighbour - Maungaraki School.

Ok, it's not so lovely, and it's not a feature - it's a staffroom and classroom, built as close as legally allowed. Fair enough so you say - it's legal.

Yep, it may well be, but of all the places to put that building! Our property is built on 'cut' so we're well below the level at the top of our property where the school is. This means that it's probably similar to having a 2 story building go up next door. Except that this one is full of teachers and children - blergh ;)

Ok, so the building is there. We knew we could never stop it. But, to cut a long story shorter - when the school told us that they were going to build it regardless of the obvious impact it would have on us and our property, they offered to mitigate the effects by

1) planting appropriately on their side of the boundary

2) frosting the windows facing our property

3) extend the height of our fence (I say our fence because when we moved in 5 1/2 years ago there was a chicken wire fence which we didn't think was satisfactory in terms of privacy. We asked the school to go halves in the materials costs of a new fence which Blair would build and the school said no as the current fence served their purposes. We lost a case at the Disputes Tribunal regarding it as schools have quite different rules in comparison with a residential property)

Anywho - on asking the school when they will extend the height of the fence (and forgetting the other offers) they've returned to us and said that they no longer will be.

Letters have been sent to Hon Anne Tolley the Minister or Education, as well as local MPs - let's just say the MoE didn't offer any solution and so now we're heading back to the MP's. But this started in August last year - it's a frustrating situation!

And lets be honest, how many people like the idea of singing and dancing and playing with their kids in the backyard with a staffroom of teachers or classroom of children merely metres away. Not me.