Off-Street Parking Or Offices ?

Press, Volume C, Issue 29535, 9 June 1961, Page 12

Off-Street Parking Or Offices ?

Traffic congestion has given c the Christchurch Transport t Board a powerful argument t in favour of its buses as the t most efficient and con- t venient means of transport 1 to and from the central e area of the city. It is a 1 little ironic that the board, i which daily exhorts [ motorists to leave their cars i at home and thus “ avoid - “ parking fuss ”, should now consider providing off-street space for 450 cars in Cathedral square. That is not to deny the possible advantages of incorporating multi-level parking facilities, as well as a bus barn, in a new office block owned by the board. There are good reasons, however, for scrutinising this scheme very closely. Because of the special civic character of Cathedral square, strict aesthetic principles will ; need to be applied in re- ; developing the board’s site, j A tall office block, set back ; from the present building . line, could add dignity and interest to the Cathedral precinct Would a parking building, with its less pleasing features, serve the public interest as well? Because the site is very valuable the board should exploit its economic paten- , tial reasonably fully. Because office space an centrally situated must always be at a premium, it be uneconomic to devote a large part of a new building to perking space. But probably the problem

on which reassurances will be wanted most is that of traffic flow. Although cars would approach and leave Ute building by way of Hereford place, the additional traffic in Hereford and Worcester streets might be embarrassing, particularly if the building were used—as it should be —for short-period parking.