The Salisbury St Foundation in St Albans St is now under investigation by the city council after its compliance team received a complaint about the matter on Tuesday.
Said a city council spokesman: “To be lawfully operating at the sites under the Resource Management Act, the activities would either need to be operating under existing use rights or be permitted by the
Christchurch District Plan. We don’t have this information at this stage.”
He said there are no resource consents recorded for any of the properties owned by the foundation.
On September 12, The Star reported the foundation had expanded and brought more properties nearby. It is now able to house 21 criminals, up from 15.
In August, a new consolidated agreement with the foundation and the Department of Corrections approved the increase, as well as changes which means all of the foundation’s services are financially compensated for by Corrections.
Yesterday, a Corrections spokesman directed questions on the issue to the foundation, as it is the owner of the properties.
It comes as a homeowner in Merivale says she will lose close to $200,000 of her property’s value because she lives next door to the foundation.
Ali Chapman’s Mansfield Ave property shares a driveway with the foundation.
It has purchased several neighbouring properties next to Mrs Chapman’s home, which they now operate out of.
Mrs Chapman said the foundation verbally told her when she wanted to sell, it would be interested in buying it.
Now, Mrs Chapman says she has been forced to move out due to her financial situation.
Earlier this year, she voluntarily put her Merivale business into liquidation.
Eighteen months ago, Mrs Chapman got her three-bedroom, two-bathroom home valued at $795,000.
However, now she says the foundation won’t offer any more than $600,000 for her home.
“I know the market value has gone down since then, but not by $200,000.”
Mrs Chapman believes other interested buyers aren’t willing to pay market value for her home because of the close location of the foundation.
“I just want what I am entitled to and to move on. How did the council allow this to de-value our properties?”
“I’m not a ‘not-in-my-backyard’ type because it already is in my backyard.”
“It’s destroying me and everything I’ve worked for,” she said.
The foundation did not respond to The Star.
