Provision for future Waimairi reserves

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32612, 21 May 1971, Page 10

Provision for future Waimairi reserves

Plans for extension of the Spencer Park camping and recreation facilities were adopted last evening by the Waimairi County Council. The council also received reports dealing with the acquisition of land for future reserves.

The Spencer Park plans call for the establishment of new camping and picnic areas to the south of the present facilities, and these will include new roading and new car-parks. A small swimming - pool is included in the plans.

The development was the first stage in the council’s foreshore development plan, said the chairman (Mr D. B. Rich). The patronage Spencer Park received made it one of the most important reserves in Christchurch.

As well as recommending the adoption of the'plan, the council’s works and reserves committee recommended three new parking areas be constructed forthwith at a cost of about $3500. The works and reserves committee’s minutes also dealt with a report on future financial requirements for reserves development in the county, and made recommendations.

The report said the council had adopted reports on reserves requirements at meetings in December, 1970, and February this year. Action had been taken to zone the land required for recreational purposes. If all the land required, excluding the beach reserve, was purchased now, the cost would be about $400,000, the report said. Development costs would be at least as much again. Present. subdivision Contribution funds totalled $381,655, and future contributions were expected to drop from last year’s income of $86,000. The report said the county engineer had pointed out that once the reviewed district scheme was in force the council would be under an obligation to buy any land zoned for recreational purposes.

The recreation planning sub-committee felt that the matter was one of considerable concern, and should be studied as soon as possible Finance had to be made available to meet the council’s obligations, the report said. Some of the minor reserves and parts of major ones would become available to the council in due

course through sub-divisional reserve contributions, the report said. But it was felt that because of rapidly inflating land values it would be best for the council to acquire the land as soon as possible, and, when the surrounding land was subdivided, to accept cash contributions — which would be devoted to development costs. The extra finance required would necessitate a heavy increase in rates if the land purchase was financed from the general account, so an alternative supply of finance would have to be used. The

only satisfactory sources appeared to be loan finance and the petrol tax, the report said. Because of the council’s commitment to the Centennial Pool it was obviously not possible to devote any further great suffi from petrol tax receipts to reserves purposes until the pool was completed. The recreation sub-com-mittee felt that a “fair proportion” of the petrol tax should be channelled into recreation matters, and an appropriate account should be established by allocating a token amount.