A New Plymouth couple are hoping for council intervention after a neighbour erected a 2.3m fence, blocking their Taranaki sea views.
As featured last night on TVNZ 1's Fair Go programme, Marilynn and Roy Bridger were surprised to one day see tradesmen working on the fence, and despite quizzing them on what was happening, the fence went up the very same day.
The wall - a tall, wooden number - completely blocked the couple's view of the sea from their back porch, with Marilynn saying they "haven't even bothered to fill up the spa" anymore.
They wrote to the neighbour in the adjoining property, but he didn't respond, so they called the New Plymouth District Council.
They say they haven't received a response in six months, but after Fair Go got involved, the Council released a statement suggesting the case is now being investigated.
"We are working with the property owner to sort it out and have asked for a surveyor's certificate to determine the original ground line," a spokesperson said.
This will allow them to accurately calculate the fence’s height.
We explain such things as how high, how to split the costs and how to avoid boundaries becoming battlefields.
The neighbour, however, refused to speak to Fair Go on camera, telling reporter Haydn Jones over the phone: "That view doesn't belong to them."
"They lost their view and they're not going to get it back and that's the end of it," the man said.
The man also accused the couple of verbally abusing him and throwing litter down into his property, which the couple denies. He also said that the Council had been the ones to suggest he build a fence and claims the fence has been approved by the Council.
The Council denies this.
The fence itself is about 230cm tall - which is 30cm higher than a fence is supposed to be.
At that height, it can technically be classed as a structure, and as such it shouldn't adversely affect the views of any adjoining properties, according to local bylaws.
Fair Go screens on Monday evenings on TVNZ 1 at 7.30pm.
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