Permission For Car Track To Lake Sumner Refused

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28440, 21 November 1957, Page 14

Permission For Car Track To Lake Sumner Refused

Because of legal and technical difficulties, the Waipara County Council has declined permission to the Lake Sumner Development Association, any other organisation or persons to construct a car track from Lake Taylor to Lake Sumner.

“The association has requested me to ask you: What is the next move?” said Mr A. R. Blank, when he reported the county council’s decision to last evening’s meeting of the council of the Canterbury Progress League. It was decided to join the Development Association in a deputation to the county council. Among the reasons given by the council for refusing the association permission to build the road were that where work was done on a road reserve the council would be liable, in certain circumstances, for damage to the public, it could not absolve itself by erecting notices, it could be held responsible for maintenance and repair of the track and for injury to workers during the construction.

A deputation of Hawarden and Waikari ratepayers who were as' keen as the people of Christchurch to get access to Lake Sumner had waited on him and informed him that 50 persons were willing to put the road through, said Mr Blank. They wanted to do the work without the council’s permission, but he had told them that the association had no jurisdiction over the land. There was a dedicated road which anybody could use but it was difficult to find because it wandered through shingle. “Must Find Out” “I would put my arms round me neck of anybody who came to mein theWaimairi county and to build a road free of

cost,” said Mr Blank. “There is something behind the council’s refusal. It beats me. There are only three leaseholders and if we are going to get at daggers drawn over this thing—and I hope we will not—we will have to find out by searching. These people are sitting on their leases at rents you would like to have yourself. Good luck to them. “But what is behind the fact that we cannot get permission anywhere? We have been to the county council and now we are at a dead end. The answer is to iget hundreds going to Lake Sumner and something will be done. There is nothing to stop them, as there is a dedicated road. We have not put a foot wrong. We got £35.000 for the road but we are turned down.” Had the Development Association made any offer to maintain the road to the Waipara council? asked the chairman (Mr E. F. Ward). Mr Blank said the association had not given a thought to that. The Waipara council’ was looking at the question from the financial angle, said Mr A. Buckingham. If the track was built, the 23-mile road to Lake Taylor would carry greatly increased traffic. The council was spending now more on maintenance of the road than it received in rates from the three leaseholders.