CITY PARKING PLANS Council Favours Five Buildings, Says Mayor

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32078, 28 August 1969, Page 1

CITY PARKING PLANS Council Favours Five Buildings, Says Mayor

Plans for five new parking buildings in the middle of Christchurch, between Cashel Street and Armagh Street, had the strongest support of the City Council, said the Mayor (Mr A. R. Guthrey) yesterday.

Parking buildings in Cashel Street, to serve the proposed High Street-Cashel Street pedestrian mall, and in Hereford Place, to serve Cathedral Square when traffic and parking are restricted, are the direct concern of the council.

A parking building to serve the proposed Cashel Street pedestrian mall, between Oxford Terrace and Colombo Street; one in the Club Lane area, west of Chancery Lane, to serve Cathedral Square and businesses and shops in the vicinity; and one on or near the Christchurch Working Men’s Club site to serve a multi-storey hotel or commercial building and shops and businesses, have the council’s support.

VUUIIVU » suppvi I. ‘The provision of off-street parking to relieve traffic congestion and permit pedestrian malls, planned traffic routing and one-way streets in the heart of the city are essential,” Mr Guthrey said. “The highest rated area is in the middle of the city. If

t the heart of the city decays, • rates must fall and the couni oil will have less revenue to ; service suburban and outlying : centres," he said. Mr Guthrey said that a multi-storey parking building ; fronting Cashel Street, with ■ entrances in both Cashel and

Hereford Streets, to serve the Cashel-High Street pedestrian mall had the council’s highest priority. Gough, Gough and Hamer, Ltd, had agreed to sell land to the council for that project. The council was negotiating to buy Tattersail’s Hotel, next to the existing site of Gough, Gough and Hamer, and a big car park could be built there. Tattersall’s Hotel was owned by the’ Westenra Estate, and the hotel was occupied under a’ lease which had two years to run.

Bus Barn Mr Guthrey said that the council would build a bus barn for the Christchurch Transport Board in Hereford Place, and build a multi-storey car park over the bus bam.

He said that these plans would take some time to eventuate but were concrete proposals. The parking building in Cashel Street might be financed by the council, or built by a development company, or finance company, and leased to the council. Asked about the proposed pedestrian mall in Cashel Street, from Colombo Street to the Bridge of Remembrance, Mr Guthrey said that this would be served by the council parking building in Lichfield Street A retail firm in that part of Cashel Street proposed for the second pedestrian mall had recently bought a property. The City, Council might negotiate with the firm to buy the land to erect a parking building—or the firm might develop it as a parking building. Corner Of Square The City Council’s development plan, issued in July, 1967, calls for a parking building off the north-west comer of the Square. Mr Guthrey said that the council was aware of development plans in that area. A parking building, part of a private development scheme in the area round the A.M.P. building and Club Lane, might be constructed, and the council’s support was assured. He said that a parking building for a private commercial scheme on the site of the Christchurch Working Men’s Club was proposed, and the council’s support for this was also assured. “Any multi-storey hotel in the centre of Christchurch

council development plan call for two sites in Kilmore Street, four between Madras and Barbadoes Streets from Gloucester to St Aasph Streets and two more in St , Asaph Street between Man- ■ Chester and Montreal Streets. . The plan envisages the com- ■ pletion of the one-way street system in the city centre. Thirteen additional parking buildings, in addition to the ' two existing City Council ’ buildings, the Amurl Motors parking building and the council, park in Tuam Street are envisaged.

must have ample parking facilities. The council supports a modem hotel in the city and therefore supports a parking building to serve the hotel and adjacent shops or businesses,” he said. Kilmore Street Mr Guthrey said that the council had bought land in ' Kilmore Street on two sites a distance apart These could be used for parking, and parking buildings as required. The Town Hall would generate a considerable amount of • traffic in Kilmore Street. The long-term off-street parking requirements in the