Owner leaving region over sign stoush

• Published date: 04 November 2021
• Publication title: Southland Express

Three weeks ago, Ton Crooymans built a large sign for the large seaside lodge he owns in Tuatapere, about one hour west of Invercargill.

Less than 24 hours later, he received an email from the Southland District Council (SDC) saying he needed to remove it by October 29.

The sign’s size would likely trigger a publicly notified consent process, SDC said.

However, the sign had already drawn the attention of community figures, including Southland Mayor Gary Tong who said he would take the matter up with SDC staff and see if he could swing a deal for it to stay up until a decision could be reached on consent.

On Monday, Mr Tong confirmed he had been unsuccessful in his attempts and the sign now needed to come down.

‘‘We’ve got to play by the rules on this. I’m guessing if you bend them for one, you’ve got to bend them for everybody,’’ he said.

But Mr Crooymans said he had no intention of removing the sign, and was now looking to sell up.

The sign had tipped him over the edge after 15 years of dealing with the council, he said.

‘‘I have no intention to remove it at this stage. And then we will move on. We don’t want to hang around here any more.

‘‘We’ll have to sell first. But this is it. Let someone else have a go at it. We’ve spent our life savings on this project [the lodge], making something really nice for this area.’’

The sign in question reads ‘‘The Cliffs’’ and advertises Mr Crooymans’ 18 studio units in Tuatapere...