Residential zoning on Estuary land

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32879, 30 March 1972, Page 16

Residential zoning on Estuary land

In agreeing to residential 1A zoning for 410 acres of land on the lower Avon River near the Estuary, the No- 2 Town and Country Planning Appeal Board is of the opinion that the land has little value or use for agriculture, and certainly no continuing use for that purpose.

The board, in a reserved judgment, allowed an appeal by the land owners, Messrs J. E. Cameron and A. W. Warren and others, against a City Council decision to zone the block as part deferred residential and part agricultural in its revised planning scheme. The land, which covers the Travis swamp, part of Bexley, and the Ferry Road-Lin-wood Avenue and Ferrymead districts, has been surveyed by consultants for the owners with a view to its residential subdivision.

The board’s decision says that the appeal was based on the grounds that the proposed zoning was not appropriate, and prevented proper use of the land and the owners asked that the comprehensive plan of development be implemented. For the council, it was argued that because of physical problems of filling and drainage, an unfettered urban zoning was undisirable, and in any case, a co-ordinated scheme was necessary, and this was not available. The decision pointed out

that objections by the Christchurch Drainage Board had been eliminated by new de. velopment proposals, and the board now approved, with some qualifications. In agreeing to the re-zon. ing, the board found that tha proper use of the land is for urban purposes, and it was adjacent to services and urban development would contribute to their economic use, and that the development scheme had considerable amenity and aesthetic value in that they could only improve a most untidy and unattractive block of land. “The board is also of the opinion that the proposal would relieve pressures to extend the urban fence into land of high actual or potential value for the production of food,” the judgment said, “It is clearly better to use marginal land rather than better-class land.” The board upheld appeals by Marvic Investments, Ltd, G. C. Terris and Jessis Bartlett against a City Council decision to give industrial zoning to the appellants’ properties at Disraeli Street.