The community has until 30 December to notify the Council of any residential land severely affected by Cyclone Gabrielle that isn’t already known to Council.

Council Director Sustainable Futures Joanna Noble says a cut-off date is needed to ensure Council can move forward to meet the needs of those affected.

“Its important people make sure that Council is aware of their severely damaged land so that it can be inspected by a Council specialist.”

“When the Future of Severely Affected Land (FOSAL) framework was first announced by Central Government, Council took a conservative approach to land classification, and classified over 1,800 properties as category 2A, meaning they required further assessment.

“However, Council is not always aware of damage that has occurred to properties and is reliant on individual property owners coming forward if they have not yet been given a provisional FOSAL classification.

“We are also aware there is whānau, whose property has provisionally been classified as FOSAL Category 2A, who are waiting for confirmation of what category they are in. “Our team is working hard to provide as much certainty as possible to property owners before Christmas.

“Letters are being sent to these property owners next week, as well as to those remaining in FOSAL Category 2A to provide an update on their classification.

“We are aiming to have completed categorisations for all properties by early next year, thanks to the tireless work of the FOSAL team at Council,” added Ms Noble.

“For the properties that remain in Category 2A, further assessment needs to be undertaken to identify the best intervention options to reduce future risks.

“If property owners feel like the categorisation for their property is incorrect, they are encouraged to contact Council with information about how their property was or wasn’t impacted.

“In addition, if they are concerned about landslide risk at their property, they also need to get in touch with Council.”

If people are satisfied with the classification of their property, there is nothing further they need to do.

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