The developer of a Blenheim subdivision where residents have called for "dangerous" stormwater ponds to be fenced says a "squawking minority" has cost ratepayers thousands by prompting the council to make the water in the ponds drain away faster.
DeLuxe Property Group developer Greg Smith said he believed the call for fencing was a "storm in a teacup".
"I believe this is probably created by a couple of residents who don't like the fact that they have been asked to abide by the covenants, regarding other unrelated issues within the subdivision."
The covenant for Rose Manor, published on the DeLuxe Property Group's website, was described by Smith as "restrictive", but he said that was created to protect homeowners' long-term investments.
Homeowners at the subdivision, northwest of central Blenheim, had to get approval from the developers for all plans and specifications. There were restrictions on the size of dwellings, the type of cladding, the tidiness of landscaping, and even the height of hedges. All front fences had to be approved by the developer.
Owners were also to ensure no caravan, campervan, house bus, boat, trailer or large commercial vehicle was parked on the street, or visible from the street, for more than 10 hours.
A Rose Manor resident first contacted the Marlborough District Council about the subdivision's two stormwater ponds in December 2022. The resident, who likened the ponds to swimming pools, was told the council had to seek legal advice before deciding whether they needed fencing.
A Local Democracy Reporter approached several residents near the ponds last week who said they were also concerned about them.
Children had been seen snorkelling in one of the ponds, and one resident said she had an extra lock on her front door "consciously, because of (the pond) over the road".
Marlborough District Council chief executive Mark Wheeler said on Friday the ponds would not be fenced, as there could be ramifications for other water facilities in Marlborough. He also reminded people of the "important principle about parental responsibility in watching small children".
But the council did decide to excavate the pond base "quite soon" and install a new filter on the bottom to help water drain away more quickly, Wheeler said.
Wheeler said the ponds were not supposed to hold water for long and could have become partly blocked due to soil run-off from the ongoing development at Rose Manor.
Despite residents saying there was normally water in the ponds, Smith said over 95% of the time they were empty.
"It needs to be a substantial rainfall event before the water ponds," Smith said.
"The amount of rain and the length of the rain event [determines] the speed in which it evaporates through the filtered bottom."
He said the reserve was not a play area for children.
"You would think that responsible parents would naturally not allow their kids into this area, especially at the time of flooding," he said.
He said it had now fallen on ratepayers to "pay upwards of $40,000" for the base of the ponds to be removed and a new sand layer filter laid.
"Mixed sized stones will then be placed on the bottom, which should mean that it is likely to drain quicker than through a grass layer," he said.
"Personally, I think this is a totally unnecessary burden on the ratepayers of Marlborough, however often the squawking minority in this country rule."
By Maia Hart, Local Democracy Reporter
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.
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