A Southland man is being ordered to get consent for his artistic power pole installation over a decade after the posts first went in the ground.

But the council is yet to inform the owner directly, saying it will happen "in due course".

Fourteen years ago, accommodation owner Ton Crooymans placed three power poles on an angle at his Tūātapere subdivision to resemble the wind-stricken trees at nearby Orepuki.

This week, Southland District Council told Local Democracy Reporting the structure needs to be consented, but is yet to tell Crooymans.

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The instruction is the latest hurdle for embattled Crooymans who on Monday said he was selling up after being told a sign erected last month — also made out of power poles — must come down.

The sign in question reads “The Cliffs” and advertises Crooymans' 18 studio units in Tūātapere.

Now Crooymans argues the council is being inconsistent with its directives.

“Fourteen years ago I dug the holes by hand and put the power poles in with a tractor,” Crooymans said.

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“All of the planners for council have been over the subdivision road plenty of times. Building inspectors, they never mentioned anything.”

The council said they will inform Crooymans about the required consent when they reply to his October 29 email.

Although both structures are unconsented and made out of similar materials, the most recent addition is not allowed to stay up while a consent is worked through.

The new sign was supposed to come down by last Friday. Southland District Council environmental planning manager Marcus Roy said it would likely trigger a publicly notified consent in its current form.

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Roy said the older structure was being treated differently because they were “quite different to the commercial nature of 'The Cliffs' signage”.

“The poles are more of a sculpture as opposed to a sign attracting commercial business and accordingly the poles can stay while we work through a consenting process with the land owner,” Roy said.

The sign is 10 times larger than what is permitted under the district plan.

Crooymans said he has no intention of removing the new sign, and is now talking to an agent about selling up his Tuatapere property.

"We don't want to hang around here anymore. It's enough," he said on Monday.

Ton and Larissa Crooymans are leaving Tūāatapere after 16 years on the back of issues with the council. Photo: Supplied

The council was originally tipped off to the sign by a neighbour who sent photos asking if it was consented.

Within 24 hours, Crooymans was requested to move it.

The Dutchman, who has called Tūātapere home for the past 16 years, said he had been overwhelmed by calls from people following the publication of his story earlier this week, all sharing similar experiences of consent issues with the council.

"Too many people are frustrated with council. I don’t blame anyone [at the council]," Crooymans said.

"But I think they need to look at the systems in place. It’s 2021, not 1865."

Matthew Rosenberg

Local Democracy Reporting Editor

Republished by Arrangement