Upper Selwyn Huts
Upper Selwyn Huts
General information
The Upper Selwyn Huts are located at the Springston South Reserve on land owned by the Crown and managed by Selwyn District Council.
Historically, hut owners have owned their hut and held a Deed of Licence to lease the land. The Council also levies a licence fee.
The Springston South Reserve faces a number of challenges for long-term occupation due to the growing number of severe storms in the area and rising groundwater levels. The increasing difficulty of opening Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere to the sea in the future also increases these risks.
Current situation
The current licence for people to live at the Upper Selwyn Huts expires on 30 June 2024.
At its 13 March 2024 meeting, Selwyn District Council also decided that the Upper Selwyn Huts’ Deeds of Licence will not continue past 30 June 2039, meaning there will be no residence allowed at the site after this date.
At the 13 March 2024 meeting the Council decided:
- A new Deed of Licence will be issued for a period of 5 years from 30 June 2024. There will be a conditional opportunity to renew that licence for 2 further periods of 5 years. No occupancy will be permitted after 30 June 2039.
- An inspection programme for Upper Selwyn Huts and associated lots would need to be undertaken in relation to relevant legislation and Council policy. This is discussed further below.
- A remediation bond will be introduced as part of the licence.
- Transfers of a Deed of Licence after 30 June 2034 will be restricted to identified family members or significant persons (to be determined) of the licensee.
The Council has also been working with Environment Canterbury and hut owners on options for a new wastewater system for the Huts and agreed to connect the Upper Selwyn Huts to a new wastewater pipeline running from Ellesmere to the Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant.
At the 13 March meeting the Council also agreed to reduce the amount that the Upper Selwyn Huts community would be required to fund this pipeline from 100% to 30%.
You can read the report [PDF, 9071 KB] that was presented to the Council and view the Council meeting.
Background
There are three hut communities on the shores of Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere where hut owners have a Deed of Licence to occupy the land. These include the Greenpark Huts (administered by Ngāi Tahu), Lower Selwyn Huts (administered by the Department of Conservation (DoC)), and the Upper Selwyn Huts (managed by Selwyn District Council).
On 8 May 2019, the Selwyn District Council unanimously determined that the Upper Selwyn Hut licences and subsequent renewals would only be available for a finite period on a short term renewal basis. Since 2020, the Deeds of Licence for the Upper Selwyn Huts and the resource consent for the wastewater system at the huts have been extended annually for one year at a time. Current extensions end on 30 June 2024.
Licences for Lower Selwyn Huts are unlikely to be renewed past 30 June 2034, and Greenpark Huts will not be renewed after 30 June 2024.
To inform and support Upper Selwyn Hut owners, information was presented to them at a public meeting on 28 February 2024. Residents were invited to discuss the proposals and options with the mayor, the Council’s chief executive and senior Council staff.
View the presentation
[PPTX, 1200 KB]
Next steps
The Council’s priority is to ensure that hut owners have certainty about their situation beyond 30 June 2024. To support this:
- The Draft Deed of Licence will be circulated to Huts residents, to allow residents to give feedback on what specific terms and conditions should look like in the Deed of Licence, given the decisions made at the 13 March Council meeting.
- A public meeting will be held at 6pm on Tuesday 23 April at Springston South Soldiers Memorial Hall.
The next step following this will be for the community, the Council and relevant agencies to establish a working party, to work together on the longer-term future, and ensure people are cared for and assisted through this process.
How to get in touch
Huts resident with further questions can email huts@selwyn.govt.nz or call us on 0800 SELWYN (785 996)
Upper Selwyn Huts Deed of License Extension [PDF, 163 KB]