Latest news with #propertyboundary
RNZ News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Garden shed, sleepout and garage rules to be eased by government
Chris Penk. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Consenting rules for small garden sheds, sleepouts and garages are being changed by the coalition government. Cabinet has agreed to remove the minimum required distance between small single-storey structures under 10 square metres and a property boundary. It has also agreed to reduce the setback distance for single storey buildings between 10 and 30 square metres to just one metre. Previously, garden sheds had to be as far from a property boundary as they were tall - anything closer than that required building consent. Minister for Regulation David Seymour said there was no justification for such generous setback distances on private property. "Section sizes are shrinking, and the cost of living rising. Forcing people to put sheds in the middle of their lawn or pay for a consent to store tools doesn't make sense." David Seymour. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Seymour said space was right and building costs high in today's housing market, making today's changes good news for homeowners. "These types of property developments are practical and affordable improvements. We want people to be able to utilise them without hassle." He credited his 'Red Tape Tipline' for the idea and asked the public to keep the feedback coming. "We're acting on the tips we get through the red tape tipline by removing regulation and making it easier for Kiwis to get things done. "We want to hear about red tape like this that's getting in the way - I encourage anyone with a red tape issue to report it on the Ministry for Regulation website." Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk said people shouldn't be "bogged down in bureaucracy" when making use of their own backyard. "By the end of the year, homeowners will be able to put up a small shed or garage closer to their boundary or another building without needing a consent. "That's a real win for anyone short on space, giving them more freedom to add a bike shed, protect their tools, cover a vehicle, or even create a small sleepout for guests - all without extra paperwork." These changes are expected to be in force by the end of the year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Telegraph
Neighbours' seven-year row over garden tap is ‘ridiculous', says judge
A neighbourly row over a garden tap has racked up £250,000 in legal bills. The dispute between two neighbours in Ilford, east London, has lasted for seven years and has now gone before the High Court. A judge, presiding over the case this week, said: 'Hundreds of thousands of pounds about a tap and a pipe that doesn't matter – this brings litigation into disrepute.' The feud started when pensioner Christel Naish complained to her doctor neighbour, Jyotibala Patel, about a tap and pipe outside her house in Chadacre Avenue, the court heard. She said the tap and pipe were 'trespassing' on a narrow strip of land between their homes, which she claimed partly belonged to her. Ms Naish is accused of 'terrorising' Dr Patel and her husband Vasos Vassili with 'petty and vindictive' complaints about the matter. The couple's barrister, Paul Wilmshurst, told the court they felt forced to sue because of the 'blight' on the property's value caused by the unresolved row. 'For many years the appellant has been making allegations about the trespassing nature of the [tap and pipe], thereby making it impossible for them to sell their house,' he said. In a trial at Mayor's and City County Court in 2023, the couple claimed the gap between the houses belonged to them. They insisted the boundary between the two properties was the flank wall of Ms Naish's house and not the edge of her gutter as she claimed. They won that case and Ms Naish was ordered to pay 65 per cent of her neighbours' lawyers' bills, amounting to about £100,000, on top of her own costs. But Ms Naish has refused to back down and took her case to the High Court for an appeal last week. Her barrister, David Mayall, argued that the original decision was 'fatally flawed' and should be overturned. The appeal is costing more than £30,000 and Mr Mayall said it could result in 'another £200,000' being spent on a second trial if she succeeds. Judge Sir Anthony Mann criticised both parties for the 'ridiculous' row after the court heard the tap had since been removed by Dr Patel anyway. Addressing Mr Mayall, he said: 'You don't care about the pipe and the tap, so why does it matter, for goodness' sake, where the boundary lies? 'It seems to me to be a ridiculous piece of litigation - on both sides, no doubt.'
