New Tavern Planned In Burwood

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32392, 3 September 1970, Page 15

New Tavern Planned In Burwood

Plans for a proposed new tavern in Burwood, at the corner of Mairehau and Inwoods roads, to cost $300,000, and plans for the addition of a new bar lounge, bulk store and drive-in bottle store at the Belfast Tavern, to cost $llO,OOO, were produced at a Waimairi County Council town planning hearing yesterday.

The committee (Crs R. C Neville, chairman, I. Calvert and F. S, Blogg) reserved its decisions. A consortium of Ballins In dustries, Ltd, New Zealand Breweries, Ltd, and Mako Investments, Ltd (Mr R. E Wylie) made the application for permission to build the Burwood Tavern, on five acres of land zoned residen-

tial A, by way of specified departure.

Mr B. J. Wilks, managing director of Ballins Industries, Ltd, gave evidence that he was a director of Burwood Tavern, Ltd.

He said that the Licensing Control Commission had re viewed the hotel industry in Christchurch in 1966 and had reported that Christchurch had spread amazingly and that there was a need for a better distribution of existing hotels to sites outside the city proper. The report also referred to Mairehau-Burwood as one of the areas in which suburban licences might be distributed Mr Wilks said. Steps had been taken to ensure the removal of a redundant hotel licence to the site on the road corner.

“It is understood that at least two major residential subdivisions are likely to take place in the general area and other development will no doubt follow. The site is two miles by road from the nearest licensed premises," he said.

The site was particularly suitable for a tavern, allowing easy entrance and exist from two frontages, with adequate parking space. All the buildings and car parks would be set well back. Only one person had lodged an objection.

The tavern would have public, private and lounge bars with a drive-through bottle store. A separate manager’s house would be built. There would be parking for 95 cars initially, with ample room for more parking as required. “The whole area will be attractively landscaped and the finished project should be an attractive asset to the community it will serve,” Mr Wilks said.

He said that if the council approval was given, the company intended to proceed with the project as “scon as practicable.”

To Cr Neville, Mr Wilks said it could take some time to get all the authorisations required—from the Licensing Commission for example—but the company would go ahead as seen as possible after that.

To Cr Calvert, he said that the tavern would be of a

minimum size to begin witt with expansion as the are; developed. The council’s town plan ning officer (Mr R. M Parker) reported that thi site was a logical one ii view of the proposed urbar development Mr L. F. Sugden, in a let ter to the council, said h( objected to the application foi the tavern site because the council had been “inconsis tent” in its decisions on the use' and zoning of land in the Inwoods Road area. He complained that the council had not carried out a previous resolution to zone the land industrial, and that he

had been refused a permit to build a meat processing plant on his fowl farm in the area Ballins Industries, Ltd (Mr R. E. Wylie) applied to build additions to the existing Belfast Tavern by way of a specified departure, the land the existing hotel and proposed additions were on being zoned partly residential and partly rural. The Christchurch Regional Planning Authority and the Ministry of Works objected to the application: the Ministry on the ground of traffic hazards. The authority objected to the additions because the hotel was in a predominantly rural area. Both objectors said the proximity of the hotel to the southern end of the Northern Motorway would cause traffic hazards.

Mr Wylie produced amended site plans for the lounge bar and access and egress to the tavern to meet objections expressed by the Ministry of Works and the planning authority.

The new bar lounge would be set back 64 feet from the State highway, said Mr D. B Wilks, managing-director of Ballins Industries, ltd, in evidence. The bottle store had to be near the road frontage to serve its purpose—to satisfy customers who wanted to buy liquor in as short a time as possible. Mr Wilks said there would be only one entrance to the hotel from the State highway, and one exist, at right angles so traffic could be seen. There would be a driveway to Dickies Road, entrance and exit, which would be built up to give visibility over the stopbank. His company had six other drive-in bottle stores at hotels in Christchurch on busy road frontages, some on corners, and he had heard no reports of traffic difficulties, Mr Wilks said.

He said that the existing Belfast Tavern building was 80 years old. It would be modernised and the front im-

proved in keeping with the proposed new lounge bar. The building would have to be demolished. This was likely to be done in 10 to 15 years, and the new building would be logically set back at least 64ft from the highway—in line with the proposed bar building. The proposed lounge bar will have a floor space of about 4000 sq. ft, and car parking will be increased to take 159 cars. Motels Plan

Mr A. Hearn, for C. J. and M. J. Mackay, presented a plan for six motels to be built at 86 Roydvale Avenue. The plan showed the motels grouped round an inner courtyard. Mr Hearn said that the plan had been redrawn and the number of motels-' reduced from nine to, six to meet objections. The motels would all face into the courtyard where the cars would be, and this would reduce noise.

On the application of Mr R. J. de Goldi, for nine objecting neighbours, the committee decided that as the first plan was to be withdrawn, the application must be advertised again so that objectors could see the second plan.

Hair Dressing

No objections were lodged to the application by Mrs B. A. Cameron (Mr N. H. Buchanan) for consent to use part of her property at 143 Lower Styx Road (rural zone) as a hairdressing salon. Mrs Cameron gave evidence that she had qualified as a hairdresser. She was married with three children. When the home was built, she had included a room, with all proper facilities, for a salon. Many of her former clients travelled by car to her home to have their hair done. She said a drive would be made on the property to enable parking and to give separate entrance and exit.