Aerial Shot of Upper Selwyn Huts

Upper Selwyn Huts residents will have clarity over their immediate future and an opportunity to shape the long-term future under a new Council proposal.

At its meeting on Wednesday 13 March, the Council agreed a new draft Deed of Licence to be put to the Huts residents, ahead of the current licence expiring on 30 June this year.

The new licence offers residents up to 15 years at the site as they work with the Council on the process for the long-term future. Licences would not be renewed after 15 years, in line with the other hut communities of Lower Selwyn Huts and Greenpark Huts that border Te Waihora.

“We need to give certainty to Upper Selwyn Huts residents for their immediate future by confirming they had a licence to stay on the land, while we talk together about the long-term future. These are difficult decisions, but this is the beginning of a conversation where we all work together to ensure people are supported through into the future,” Deputy Mayor Malcolm Lyall says.

The Council also voted to reduce the cost to the Huts community for installing a new wastewater pipeline, with the proposal that the cost of the pipeline be 70% by the Council.

The existing wastewater consent for the community expired in 2020 and has been renewed on an annual basis as the Council works with residents and Environment Canterbury on a new wastewater system, needed to allow the huts community to continue.

The Council had initially proposed to build a bespoke wastewater solution on site, paid for by the community, but it has since agreed to connect the Upper Selwyn Huts to the Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant as part of a wider project to connect the Ellesmere area. With the increased cost of this project and being part of a larger district project, the Council agreed to reduce the costs covered by the huts community.

The draft Deed of Licence will now be circulated to hut owners to consider, with a new licence needing to be in place by 30 June 2024, Mr Lyall says.

“These are not easy conversations. We need to take the time to work closely with the community and ensure residents are supported and cared for and that’s what we’ll be focussing on now, with a pathway in place.”

Last modified: 20 Mar 2024 6:46am