A Lot at Stake
26 October 2024
The stakes are high; if the ruling of the Environment Court regarding Crescent Road is allowed to stand, every home in every Special Character Area in Auckland is threatened. The consequences could be like those already wrecked on the pictured Sholto Smith “Art and Crafts” home at 37 Upland Road in 2022.
The Character Coalition is represented in its appeal to the High Court by Bronwyn Carruthers KC, who also represented the residents at the Environment Court. Carruthers KC’s advice is that there are errors of law in the Environment Court's decision, and she has laid out the grounds for appeal. The High Court has set the appeal date down for a hearing on 11 March 2025 with submissions due to be filed by 29 November 2024.
The costs of the appeal must be paid by Character Coalition as appellant, and the residents who have already spent considerable funds on the Environment Court hearing. These funds must be raised, or we will not be able to continue with the legal appeal.
Because this is a matter affecting every home in every Special Character Area in Auckland, we are asking each of Character Coalition’s member groups to contribute towards these costs. Thank you to the generous donors who have also given directly to Character Coalition. Every dollar counts. Collectively we can stand up for our Special Character Areas in the face of this very real threat.
Image: Alex Dempsey