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Hot Topic EARNINGS
Hot Topic EARNINGS
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Less smoke than fire in Garden City

Property owners in Christchurch face a long-awaited ban on the use of open fires and solid fuel burners that are 15 years or older after April 1.Even as late as last year, some residents were still legally burning fuel on open fires, including coal. The p

Chris Hutching
Wed, 07 Apr 2010

Property owners in Christchurch face a long-awaited ban on the use of open fires and solid fuel burners that are 15 years or older after April 1.

Even as late as last year, some residents were still legally burning fuel on open fires, including coal. The practice has been a cause of friction among neighbours.

The ban operates from April 1 to September 30. Dirty smokers may be fined $300 if they have made no effort to replace their old log burners or open fires.

To a large extent the enforcement will depend on complaints from neighbours because there is no register of open fires. The regional council says it will initially take a softly softly approach by trying educate people.

In spite of extensive subsidised clean heat programmes, some landowners and landlords may have resisted efforts to encourage installation of heat pumps because of initial upfront costs. These costs are less related to the actual installation of appliances than the electrical upgrading required to cope with heavier power requirements, especially in the older homes that most need upgrading.

The rules were confirmed in December 2008, and publicity around them has gained momentum. Historically, Christchurch has had the poorest air quality in the country.

More than 16,000 households have made the switch through Environment Canterbury’s Clean Heat Project, according to Ken Taylor, Environment Canterbury director of investigations and monitoring.

“Simple pleasures like a walk on a clear winter evening, a bike ride across town and rugby or netball training, without being bothered by winter air pollution are all reasonable expectations for the Christchurch community. I expect improving winter air quality to make a gradual but noticeable difference over the coming years.”

The medical officer of health for Canterbury, Dr Alistair Humphrey, said poor air quality in Christchurch had resulted in up to 70 deaths and up to 100 hospital admissions per year.

The position of households with log burners older than 15 years is less clear, in practical terms. Using its register of houses, Environment Canterbury has sent letters to those households telling them of requirements to replace their old log burners with new approved ones. But it is not illegal to have an old burner in place and compliance action would mostly likely only be taken after complaints from neighbours. In any case, the main focus of the small number of compliance staff will focus on open fires.

The situation highlights some anomalies. People with old burners might argue that natural justice requires open fires to be cleaned up before they are “picked on.”

People with open fires might be able to continue using them if they are careful not to create any nuisance.

Historic homes are exempt on special occasions from the ban on using open fires.

Chris Hutching
Wed, 07 Apr 2010
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Less smoke than fire in Garden City
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