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The Bullet We Dodged
A NSW family has been ordered to remove part of its Christmas display or face potential fines following a complaint to council from a self-proclaimed “Grinch”.
The Harris family was stunned when a ranger from the Blue Mountains City Council knocked on its door yesterday to say its lights had sparked a complaint.
“The ranger said the person even called themselves ‘the Christmas Grinch’ when they called [council] up,” a family member told 9News.com.au.
“They were unable to even give the actual address of our home.”
At the centre of the complaint are three posts that sit on the family’s nature strip which hold a string of fairy lights suspended from the roof of their home.
The family explained it came up with the idea to use the posts after the council removed two massive Liquidambar trees that usually supported the display from the nature strip.
”Last year we had the lights strung up by the trees, we didn’t receive any complaints,” a family member said.
“When the trees got removed so quickly we were actually devastated for the Christmas lights, so we were like, ‘How can we recreate the same thing without it being permanent?'”
They argued their structure posed less of a hazard compared to the Liquidambars, which had uprooted the road and caused damage to their driveway.
The display was also popular among the community, with many locals stopping by to take photos underneath the lights.
“We went to so much effort and so much cost as you could imagine, not just to make sure they were out of the way, but to make sure we had a magical area, as if you were running under the stars,” the family member said.
The family said it was told it had two weeks to remove the posts, but that the council could take them down themselves at anytime, as well as issue fines.
With just three-and-a-half weeks until Christmas, the complaint comes as a devastating blow.
“We’re hopeful someone will see sense in council, it’s not that unreasonable,” a member of the family said.
“We’re not one of those houses that has lights all over the ground, we’ve taken care.”
Blue Mountains City Council tell 9News.com.au they’re hoping to find a compromise.
“Council recognises that Christmas is a special time of the year,” the statement said.
“While we have had complaints from members of the public relating to safety concerns about wires and structures on the public thoroughfare, and Council and the resident are liable for safety issues that could arise, we would really like to find a compromise.
“Our CEO personally sought a compromise with the resident which would allow the lights to be on display while ensuring safety. We are disappointed that we haven’t found a solution, but we will keep trying.”
