Town Hall Plans

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29952, 13 October 1962, Page 3

Town Hall Plans

Sir,—By suggesting in his plan for Victoria square that the Salvation Army site be retained and an arcade of shops be added. Professor Stephenson is demonstrating the sound principle that a city’s civic development must be related to the life of the city. A civic square planned only for great occasions and lacking the day-to-day comings and goings of the citizens would be a very dead place indeed. Keith Royds has evidently overlooked this point —Yours, etc.. VALERIE HEINZ. October 12, 1962.

Sir,—Keith Royds has expressed the sentiments of many people, but I feel he had not touched the main point in the town hall planning. Professor Stephenson's report states that the Salvation Army Citadel is being replaced by a headquarters building. Can the citizens of Christchurch be given some

assurance on these points? If a new building is expected, ‘ (a) will it be solely administrative. or (b) can we expect the Salvation Army opera- , lions to continue as at pre- , sent’ It the latter, while I appreciate the work the Sal- ■ ration Army is doing, I won- : der at the possibility of a civic function being interrupted by a brass band marching up to the hallblasting away. Can the Salvation Army give its some assurance on these points?— Yours, etc., F. B. TURNER. October 12, 1962. [The commander of the Canterbury-Westland division of the Salvation Army (Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Albiston) said: “The report as we read it in ’The Press' came as a complete surprise to us. We were not aware of anything envisaged in this way. Until such time as we receive word from the City Council we feel that we are not in a position to make any further statement on the matter. We have a plan for erecting a youth centre at the rear of the present Citadel and for remodelling the front to incorporate a divisional headquarters for Canterbury and Westland. Whether this will be altered when we hear from the council I do not know.”]

Sir,—l think it is wonderful of the church and the Bishop giving up the “Limes” site for the town halL The early Pilgrims, who were mainly Church of England did all they could to make Christchurch a place of beauty, and now the church is doing more towards it. For some years I have written about the “Limes” being the place for the town hall, as most of the buses go north and south on either side of it.—Yours, etc., OLD CHRISTCHURCH RESIDENT. October 12, 1962.