Ferrymead dump plan

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32776, 29 November 1971, Page 16

Ferrymead dump plan

It was to be hoped that the Heathcote County Council’s development plans for land adjacent to the Ferrymead Historic Park would be in keeping with the park’s activities, said the chairman of the Ferrymead Trust (Mr G. L. Evans) yesterday.

Mr Evans was commenting on a decision by the council

last week to investigate the possibility of using land adjacent to Ferrymead for sport and perhaps a golf course. The trust had proposed to the council a scheme whereby the land —some of it at present a rubbish dump—could be made into a hill and a Maori pa built on it. “An excellent plan has been proposed by post-gradu-ate students of the landscape design section at Lincoln College. This was undertaken as a project exercise and provides a long-term development scheme for all societies associated with Ferrymead.” Mr Evans said the area involved was a little more than 100 acres, and 90 per cent was under the control of the trust. TRAMWAY ROUTE “The Heathcote County Council has already agreed in j principle to a tramway route land to the alignment of a •new road, proposed by the (trust, between Bridle Path IRoad and Truscotts Road. • Both of these are on council i land.

I “Include’, in the proposed • plan was the suggestion for the ultimate use of the present council rubbish dump; to convert it from an eyesore to an asset by making it into

a hill, on which could be placed a Maori pa. “This would not only be an example of Maori culture but also a children’s recreation area,” Mr Evans said.

If the pa plan were adopted it would mean far less time would be needed to allow the land to "settle” over the dump. “If the council has other plans for this rubbish dump, then naturally this would override any other suggestions proposed in the Lincoln College plan. We can only hope that the council’s plans will be in keeping with the adjacent Ferrymead activities,” Mr Evans said.