HEAD OF THE BAY

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19666, 9 July 1929, Page 5

HEAD OF THE BAY

RECLAMATION PROJECT. REPORT TO BE FURNISHED. The vision of a picturesque little suburb at the.head of: Lyttelton Harbour came before the Harbour Board members yesterday, when a deputation of Teddington residents asked that they should reclaim fifteen acres of mudflat at the head of the Bay. Board members were non-committal,, but their engineer is to report. The chairman (Mr H. Holland, M.P.) made it clear that the proposal to reclaim land was not a new one. It had been before the Board, in various forms, for years. Mr O. Field, the first speaker from the deputation, said the area they proposed should be reclaimed was about 1500 acres at the head of the Bay, bounded on the Lyttelton side, roughly, by a line drawn from Manson's Point to Anderson's Point. The distance between these two points was about 57 chains. It would provide a suitable dumping ground for the spoil from the dredge. Even if the scheme proved more costly than the Board's present system, it would be a good investment in the long run, for they would have an area of agricultural land to lease. Mr O. Bradley considered this portion of the harbour would look very much better as a farm or farms than as mud. A lot of the spoil taken out of the harbour was probably going straight back again, and this would provide a suitable means of getting rid of it. Mr E. J. Howard, M.P., asked whether landowners at the head of the harbour would be willing to forego certain rights to the foreshore in order that any land reclaimed might be vested in the Board. Members of the deputation thought they would. The foreshore was of little use to them. Mr F. Horrell wanted to know what the land would be worth if reclaimed. i Mr Field: I would not say it would be worth £SO an acre, but it would be worth £ls. Mr Holland: They have declaimed a large portion of the Zuyder Zee, and have grown foodstuffs on it. Mr H. T. Armstrong, M.P.: An ideal suburb could be made if the land were reclaimed. The Board's Engineer was asked to furnish a report.