THE SQUARE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19928, 15 May 1930, Page 10

THE SQUARE.

ATTITUDE OF THE CHAPTER. STATEMENT BY DEAN JULIUS. According to a statement made by Bean Julius to a representative of Tiie Pt«EB3 yesterday, tho solution of the Cathedral square problem found by the Combined Committee is a satisfactory one, and ho was quite happy to let the situation remain as it is at present. Bean Julius said that the statement made on Tuesday evening by the Mayor, covering the decision of the committee and tho negotiations leading up to it, had given the impression that the Chapter had turned down tho idea of exchanging land. The Mayor had brought down a plan of the Square giving the Chapter 20 feet in front of the Cathedral, to which the Chapter had agroed, but subsequently tho City Engineer had stated that the City could not give that area and wanted it cut down to 20 feet. The Chapter thought that as the extra six feet would make tho area equivalent to that which was to be taken away from it, it would be advisable to retain it. The Chapter's Offers. At tho same timo, the Chapter offered to give the use of the additional six feet of land in front of the Cathedral for use as a footpath as long as it was required. In other words, the Chapter was ready to grant to the Council the use of an area of land a good deal In excess of that which the Council was to hand over to the Chapter. Another concession offered by the Chapter was in connexion with the-new shelters. It was proposed that there should be one shelter at the north end and one at the south end of the western front of the Cathedral area, to be built over the footpath. The Chapter offered tho uso of a portion of the Cathedral grounds at tire back of these shelters for footpath purposes. The Bight to Build. Tho Chapter had not yet met, Bean Julius continued, to consider the situation, but the committee appointed by it to deal with tho matter had thought it advisable, in case the Combined Committee wahtod to make fresh representations to the Chapter, to advise the Combined Committee that the Chapter would find it difficult to accept the latest terms of the Council with the six feet takon off and the prohibition on building. This had been referred to by the Mayor in his Statement. Respecting the question of the fight to build on the land in front of the Cathedral, which the Chapter wanted if the Council agTeod to exchange land, Bean Julius said that when the Chapter was first approached it was told that, if it accepted a lesser area of land to that which it already held, it would be of much greater value to the Chapter than the area which it was proposed to take away. The only value that it could have, said the Bean, would be a bttilding Value, and if that was taken away, it would be of no value at all. "Of course, the utilisation of the extra land on the west front would probably be delayed for 200 or 300 years, unless there is an earthquake in the meantime," continued the Bean. "It is impossible, as the Cathedral is at present constructed, to bring the west end of the building past the line of the tower." In concluding, the Dean said that the Chapter had not initiated tho proposals, but it had been appealed to, and it had offered to assist in every way that it could, compatible with faith to its trust. Had the exchange of land idea been accepted, it was just possible that it might have been difficult to get the matter ratified by Synod.