Proposed Changes ’Tidy Up’ Waimairi Planning

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31257, 2 January 1967, Page 6

Proposed Changes ’Tidy Up’ Waimairi Planning

The Waimairi County Council has advertised proposed changes to its county planning scheme, and has called for objections to them to be lodged by February 8. The changes are described by the council’s chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) as a tidying-up process.

Mr Rich said that the proposals were the outcome of meetings held between the various riding councillors and the town-planning committee chairman (Cr. R. C. Neville). The need for changes had become apparent in the county plan, and those now advertised arose from the recommendations of the subcommittees.

“Some tidying-up is needed in the county plan before the Regional Planning Authority’s general review next year, though we may be making representations to the authority for certain changes before that,” said Mr Rich. The latest the council had heard was that the authority would start its review (which will include a review of the urban fence) in mid-1968. Mr Rich added that he did not think there was anything very contentious in the proposed changes, and he did not expect there would be objections to them.

Among the proposals are those for the rezoning of land at the Clyde road-Ilam road intersection shopping area to enable it to be developed in accordance with a council plan. A change of zoning is proposed to allow the siting of a tavern at Bishopdale, and the new teachers’ training college at Waimairi road. Objection

One objection was made to “The Press” by Mr J. Turner, a member of the Turner family partnership, which asked the council for a zoning change to enable a shopping mall and supermarket to be built off Memorial avenue, near Clyde road crossing. When public submissions were taken on this application, it was adjourned after a lawyer had said that appeals were pending on zoning change proposals affecting Fendalton road, and that it would be improper to proceed until these were settled. Mr Turner said that the

council, under Its proposed changes, now wanted to rezone the site for the shopping block from residential B to residential A.

“Though the official notice just refers to ‘the intersection of Clyde road, Fendalton road and Memorial avenue’ I have found out that in fact, the proposed zoning change covers the land on the south side of Memorial avenue as far as Otara street,” said Mr Turner. ‘That seems to be making fools of us.”