LAND FOR HOUSING

Press, Volume C, Issue 29638, 7 October 1961, Page 12

LAND FOR HOUSING

Encroachment On Farmland (Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Oct. 6. Surprise at the amount of good market gardening land around Christchurch which was being used, for housing was expressed in the House of Representatives today by Mr N. E. Kirk (Opposition. Lyttelton). “It is a crying shame.” he said. Speaking during the discussion on the housing estimates, Mr Kirk asked the Minister of Housing (Mr ;Rae) to give active attention to the development of good housing land on the Port Hills and in bays round Lyttelton harbour. There were easy grades on the hills, and there was no reason why houses should not be built there v ' Cass Bay is eminently suitable for housing.” Mr Kirk said. “There is room on the shores of the bay for 120 houses at an average section cost of £l5O. Approaches about this were made to the previous Minister of Housing, but, at that time, the Navy had an explosives store there. There is no reason today why Cass Bay should not be developed.”

The Minister of Housing (Mr Rae) said that he understood Mr Kirk to have said that the Cass Bay sections could be developed for £l5O each. He understood that the cheapest sum for which a section could be developed, even though the section was flat, was about £3OO.

An Opposition voice: Not in Christchurch.

Mr Kirk: Water and sewerage provision are already available.

“I accept that assurance,” said Mr Rae. “I heartily agree that we should lean on farming land for housing purposes as little as possible.”