MEDICAL SCHOOL SITE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30934, 15 December 1965, Page 1

MEDICAL SCHOOL SITE

Choice Defended By Mr Holyoake fA’ew Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, December 14. In spite of opposition by the Newmarket Borough Council to the siting of the Auckland University’s new medical school in Park road, Auckland, the Government is convinced “the decision now made is the right one.”

This was stated by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) tonight explaining the Government’s approval in principle of the purchase of approximately five acres in Park road for the medical school.

“The Government did consider the question of compulsory acquisition of the land under the Public Works Act—but it was felt that property owners should have an opportunity of negotiating voluntarily for the sale of their properties in the first instance,” said Mr Holyoake.

“The land purchase officers of the Ministry of Works in Auckland are being instructed to begin immediately a programme of active buying.” he said. The Prime Minister said the five acre site was the minimum amount of land needed for the efficient operation of the school—but it was also the maximum area that the University Grants Committee had been prepared to recommend. Commenting on the Government’s authorisation of expenditure for the buying of properties within the site area, Mr Holyoake said the University Grants Committee and the Government had given “very careful consideration” to the siting of the school. Several Sites "A number of different sites have been looked at both by the University of Auckland and the University Grants Committee—and both were agreed that an area in Park road was by far the best site,” he said.

“I must emphasise that the site chosen has the full support of the University of Auckland, the University Grants Committee, the Auckland City Council, the Auckland Regional Planning Authority and the Auckland Hospital Board. “The Newmarket Borough Council has been opposed to this site for some considerable time,” said Mr Holyoake, “and I recently discussed this with the Mayor of Newmarket (Mr W. White) but the Government is convinced the decision now made is the right one."

The Prime Minister said the decision was made from the point of view of access by students to the Princes street university buildings and to the clinical department of the school which would be situated in the Auckland Hospital buildings.