'We don’t want a scrapyard on our doorstep': Frustration over car wrecking yard

People living near a Canterbury car wrecking yard operating on rural land are fed up with what they say is ineffectual action by the district council to stop the business.

They have now gone to Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg for help.

The Selwyn District Council issued an abatement notice for 205 Curries Rd, Springston South, in April last year.

It had a March 31 compliance date. The car wrecking yard is still operating.

Neither the council nor Lawton and Liz Giltrap who operate the car wrecking business, Giltrap Spares Ltd, will discuss the abatement notice. 

The council would only say it was issued for non-compliance with the District Plan.

The land on which the wrecking business operates is zoned rural.

“The council is continuing to work actively with the landowner in this case and the matter is being progressed," a council spokesperson said.

“However, any further comment on this case would be prejudicial and as such we will not be commenting any further on this case until its completion.”

A person living nearby told Selwyn Times he had been to council multiple times.

All the council would tell him was that it was investigating.

“They’re doing nothing, absolutely nothing. We live in the country so we obviously don’t want to have a scrapyard on our doorstep.”

Another person living nearby told Selwyn Times the car wrecking yard “was not right” and the council should be doing more.

“As far as the vehicles (wrecking) go, the council is slack as.”

Grigg had been approached for help and to get answers from the council.

"As the local MP, my office deals with a range of constituent inquiries, including requests for advocacy.

"Where appropriate my office will notify relevant authorities, which I understand has occurred in this instance,” she said.

"I have been advised that this matter is being attended to by those authorities (council) and we are awaiting an update to provide back to the constituents who requested assistance.”

When Selwyn Times contacted the Giltraps for comment, Liz Giltrap would not speak about the abatement notice.

"What have the council told you,” Liz said. When asked again about the notice she hung up.

In May, Lawton Giltrap was sentenced to 55 hours of community service following an Environment Canterbury prosecution into the farming operation at 205 Curries Rd.

He pleaded guilty to using land in a manner that contravened the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan. 

Giltrap had allowed stock unrestricted access to farm drains on the Curries Rd property, resulting in pugging, devegetation and exposed bare earth in the bed.

He also pleaded guilty to permitting the discharge of dairy effluent from a cow on to land which may have resulted in that contaminant entering the water downstream into the L II River and subsequently Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere.