Residents Oppose Hotel Expansion Plans

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31551, 13 December 1967, Page 17

Residents Oppose Hotel Expansion Plans

Many of the patrons of the Russley Hotel were under the age of 21, said Mr R. C. J..Mackay, a veterinary surgeon, of 86 Roydvale Avenue, when he and other residents opposed plans by New Zealand Breweries, Ltd, to build a conference block and wholesale liquor store adjacent to the hotel.

The objections were heard by a sub-com-mittee of the Waimairi County Council’s town-planning committee, which yesterday dealt with applications by the company for planning approval of its proposals.

Mr Mackay said his home was opposite the hotel. He had not opposed its construction, believing that the hotel would be a desirable neighbourhood amenity. But, he said, 10 O’clock closing had resulted in noise and disturbance that amounted to a nuisance interfering with the reasonable enjoyment of residence.

“Patrons park on both sides of the road, and I have often had my driveway obstructed,” he continued. "They slam car doors, rev up engines and there are loud voices.

“Quite a proportion of the people using the hotel are tinder the age of 21.1 have seen them drinking there. With the younger element, the ears generally are of the older type, or modified, tuned cars, with loud exhausts. The patrons leave much later than 10 P Mr Mackay said that if the council granted the applications, it should ban parking on Roydvale Avenue, require the hotel to provide more offstreet parking and take steps to see that the law on die age of patrons and closing hours were strictly enforced. “Prompt and effective measures are needed,” said Mr Mackay. Mrs L. J. MeLellan, 76 Roydvale Avenue, complained of noise and broken bottles on I the road.

Other objections, mainly on traffic grounds, came from Mrs J. Johnson, 66 Roydvale Avenue; Messrs R. Williams, 68 Roydvale Avenue; H. Stanton, 95 Roydvale Avenue; and K. M. Barnett, 55 Frankleigh Street.

Mr A Hearn, who appeared for Mr Mackay, said it was beyond the powers of the council to grant a specified departure to allow the wholesale store to be built

The new town-planning legislation, he said, required a specified departure to be granted only where it would be of little significance beyond the immediate area. A wholesale bottle-store, he submitted, would draw customers from far beyond the immediate area.

For the company, Mr C. B. Atkinson said that 10 p.m. closing had meant that conference rooms at the hotel were not available on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, because of the demand for bar space. The company wanted to build a conference block to the north of the hotel. It would be a substantial capital investment, in keeping with the rest of the hotel. Although the hotel had a retail bottle store, it wanted to cater for the wholesale demand, and proposed to build on the carpark to the northeast If the application were granted, application would be made for a wholesale licence. Mr G. C. Suggate, design engineer, Ministry of Works, said that the Crown was arranging a 10-year lease to the company of land to the south of the hotel for the express purpose of tree-planting, to screen the hotel from the housing land to the south. He asked the council to in- | corporate in any decision the I Ministry’s requirement that

the land be used for bo other

purpose. The chairman (Cr R. C. Neville) said a recommendation would be made to the council.