Couple Will Have to Demolish Deck

Thursday, July 16, 2009 02:35 PM

Prince George, B.C.- The owners of a Ness Lake property will have to remove a deck they had built too close to the property line. All but two of the Directors of the Regional District of Fraser Fort George voted against allowing a variance permit that would allow the deck to remain in place.

The 8x10 deck is just .84 of a meter from the property line, it is supposed to be 5 meters.

This is not the first time the property owners have been advised of the need for a development permit.

In 2005, the owners of the subject property were informed that their property was within a Development Permit Area and that any construction and land alteration activities had to be approved by the Regional District prior to works starting. The report from staff says a Development Permit with variance may not have been needed for the established deck structure if the applicants had contacted the Regional District prior to construction.

Property owner, Cheryl Fehr told the Board that if they wanted to see some eyesores on Ness Lake they should take a boat for a spin around the lake, she also said had they known they needed a permit for this deck they certainly would have gotten one.

Director Warren Wilson wanted to know why the Regional District would consider a variance when there are clear regulations in place? Director Debora Munoz said the regulations in place are there to protect shoreline, habitat and slope stabilization so she would not support a variance.

Only Directors Garth Frizzell and Dave Wilbur voted in favour of the variance

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Posted on Thursday, July 16, 2009 02:35 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: BCRacer on July 16 2009 4:22 PM

If they have been warned before it is a little hard to feel sympathy for them,,,
they can find that in the dictionary...

Posted by: CabinFeverGirl on July 16 2009 4:49 PM

I personally know many residents in the Ness lake area that have built structures to close to the property lines.This situation sounds like a sour basket of apples from a neighbor. Don't throw rocks at a glass house, it might come back and bite you in the permit. If this by law is going to be enforced, bylaw officers had better go and look aroung the whole area, especially from the water, and equally enforce matters.Bottom line get permits!

Posted by: Harbinger on July 16 2009 6:38 PM

Too many rules, too many taxes, and too many laws. But then again, given an inch, any town without rules could see a shanty town built on the side of a mountain like in some Third World countries. And we wouldn't want that. Would we?