A High Court judge has stopped Christchurch City Council mid-way through a project to install a pressurised wastewater system to thousands of homes, because of lack of consultation with residents.
In March 2012 the council decided to install the system in the suburb of Richmond and is part way through putting it into 6000 liquefaction-prone properties.
However, landowners took legal action over the council's use of the Local Government Act to install public infrastructure on private land without their permission.
In his judgement, Justice Whata has directed the city council to start the project again.
The chair of the Christchurch Concerned Citizen's group says the news is a win for a major principle of law. Garry House says the Council must now fully consult with affected residents and inform people accurately of all the factors.
