Manufacturers Irked By Land Use Restrictions

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30368, 18 February 1964, Page 15

Manufacturers Irked By Land Use Restrictions

Many Christchurch manufacturers were irritated because they had not been able to use land they had adjacent to their existing properties for the extension of their present manufacturing facilities, the president of the Canterbury’ Manufacturers’ Association (Mr R. G. Pearce) said last evening.

He was addressing a meeting of the association to which Christchurch town planning experts had been invited, including the Town Planning Officer of the City Council (Mr R. M. Critchley), the director of planning of the Regional Planning Authority (Mr C. Barclay-Miller) and the City Council chief building inspector (Mr R. R. Barnes).

They feel there has been a trespass upon their inherent right as citizens to make use of the land as part of their natural industrial development,” said Mr Pearce. Mr Pearce said he thought

it was just as vital to encourage members ot the association to stay on and develop their Christchurch sites

I with a sympathetic attitude from the powers that be as ! it -was to make available to new industry another 150 acres on the outskirts of Christchurch. Mr Critchley said that it depended on the occasion. There would be certain industries located in the wrong places that could never be in the right places. Mr Pearce: The right place is Christchurch. Mr Critchley: It is a matter of industrial location. You can’t have industry in all parts of the city. . . . properties here and properties i there on small sections. Increase in Area When asked by Mr E. S. Stewart if there would be an increase in the industrial area in Christchurch in 1967, Mr Critchley replied: “I think it will be before. We feel in some part of Christchurch it is urgent.” Mr Critchley said it was possible there might be some industry in the Brighton area. There was a big labour! force there but not very I

much land available for industry at present.

i Mr Pearce asked Mr [Critchley if he came to him las town planning officer and asked for a five-acre site for light industry somewhere near the. heart of Christchurch, would he have great difficulty in saying there was a possibility? Mr Critchley: “You can always get a five-acre site if you are prepared to pay for it. I think you would pay a pretty high sum at present. You could pay £40,000 an acre in the Tuam street area. I’d not like to be quoted on that figure.” Mr Pearce said there would be areas within reasonable proximity of the centre of the city where small industry would never be able to be locatedMr Critchley said: “I’d say not at the moment I'd not say in the future.” Regional Problem Mr Critchley described the [problem of locating industry las a regional matter. In 1955-56 there were 28,000 industrial workers in the Christchurch region. Forty per cent would be working in the central city area. The regional planning forecast for 1976 was for 45,000 industrial workers. In the centre of the city there were about 80 to 1 acre. In the Woolston area there could be about 10 to 20 workers to the acre. At present 950 acres in the city were zoned industrial. Of this about 500 acres was used by industry. Local authorities held about 750 acres, leaving some 200 acres still available. By 1976 Christchurch would need an industrial area of 3000 acres.