Property Developer Tries to Shut Down 'Drug House' Story
A property developer in Central Riccarton has asked The Wigram not to publish this story, after admitting he knew the property next to his new development is a “drug house”.
Originally, The Wigram had approached his then agent about air conditioning boxing dumped within an abandoned property. The boxing was thought to have originated from the developer’s new build.
Pictured: Dumped items that have since been removed from outside 6 Centennial Avenue in Riccarton.
The developer L contacted The Wigram. He saw no problem with the dumping as he owned the abandoned property, and stated demolition would begin in two weeks. L asked The Wigram not to write about that property and promised to remove the dumped materials.
When asked about a notorious property beside his new development, he referred to it as a “drug house” and said complaints had been made to Police, who in his view had done nothing about it. L had known about the house for a year.
Police have repeatedly visited the property in question in recent months. On one occasion, four Police cars were seen present, with the occupants residing on the front lawn under Police watch. Troubled youth have also been linked to the address. Police have responded, writing:
“For privacy reasons, Police are unable to respond to queries that seek to establish whether a specific address is under investigation.”
During the phone call with L, he asked The Wigram not to write about his new development for two months or mention the location of his properties and the drug house. He also said that G, the real estate agent, was under a lot of pressure to sell the properties.
Commenting on the story, Padman Sadaa, an agent with Harcourts Holmwood, writes:
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