Durham Street Crossing Closed By Department

Press, Volume C, Issue 29681, 27 November 1961, Page 14

Durham Street Crossing Closed By Department

The Railways Department closed the Durham street level crossing on Saturday morning with a barricade of oil drums on one side and a fence on the other.

Mr J. G. Sandford, Railways Department assistant district engineer in Christchurch, said yesterday that, as far as the Department was concerned, the crossing was permanently closed. It had been closed by the Christchurch staff on orders from head office in Wellington, and would be fenced off.

Closing the crossing was one of the terms of the Railways Department's agreement with the City Council to pay a proportion of the cost of the Colombo street overbridge. At an inquiry by Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M., on November 17 into the council's decision to close the approach parts of the road to the crossmg, Mr Ferner said the Court had the power to confirm or reverse the Council’s decision, but it had no jurisdiction over the closure of railway land. He said he was satisfied an alternative way across the lines was provided, and he adjourned the hearing. On Friday the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, one of the objectors to the

move, announced that the Minister of Railways (Mr McAlpine) had cancelled an appointment he had made to meet a deputation that day. The Minister said he would meet toe deputation ’ neict time be was in Christchurch. In bis letter to toe association, toe Minister said the crossing was to be closed in the public interest because of toe hazards there to public traffic. Mr R. T. Alston, secretary of the association, yesterday called toe whole episode “an Alice-in-Wonderland affair. “The City Council gives notice of intention to close the road,” he said. ‘Then we have a Magistrate’s hearing of objectors’ reasons why it should not be closed. The situation is then reversed by

: toe Railways Deportment der ciding to close toe crossing 1 itself. > “It is unfortunate the hear- . ing was adjourned. The Mini ister proposes to meet a deput tation. and it is unfortunate .. toe department has decided • to act with undue haste —pori ticularly as toe organisations 1 concerned have not had time s to put toeir case to toe Min- : ister or the Magistrates’ Court, or both.”