RECLAMING OF LAND

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30395, 20 March 1964, Page 15

RECLAMING OF LAND

McCormack’s Bay Wis h The Mount Pleasant Community Centre Residents’ Association will write to the City Council expressing disappointment at lack of action by the council in preparing legislation to allow the reclamation of McCormacks Bay. It will urge that some action be taken immediately. This was decided at the annual meeting of the association. A special Act of Parliament was needed for a city council to take over from the Marine Department the rechimation of any area of land o’ter five acres, Mr N. E. Kirk, thr member of Parliament for Lyttelton, said. He said he was prepared to present the legislation when it came into his hands from the City Council. The secretary-manajter of the centre (Mr W. Ei. Turland) said a letter received from the council indicated that the draft legislation would be produced before the next session. Nothing more had been heard.

On behalf of the council, Cr. W. E. Olds said he didn’t know where the bill had got to, but he would find «ut Mr Kirk: Have it tn my hand for June.

Mr Kirk said he wan perturbed to see la a recent report concerning the Estuary, reference made to the posslbCity of using the reclaimed land for housing. “I would strongly oppose that,” he said.

A combined school committees* meeting in Sutmner recently had proposed that the reclaimed land should be reserved as a post-primary school site, said Mr Kirk. That would be a feasible proposition in some years* time, but at present the land should not be allocated.

it would seem a matter of necessity that the reclamation area be preserved as a green area. If a post-primary school was built eventually, the community centre at one end and the school at the other could well use the reserve.

The reclamation was not solely for the school, said Mr Kirk. It was not proposed that the City Council play Father Christinas to the Education Department