A sunless Cathedral Square

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32975, 22 July 1972, Page 14

A sunless Cathedral Square

The plans for the A.M.P. office building in Worcester Street, on the western side of Cathedral Square, deserved more discussion and explanation than they received at the meeting of the Christchurch City Council on Monday. Bearing in mind the proposed operation of the city’s reviewed planning scheme from August 1, the council’s town-planning committee decided to give weight to the new rules rather than to the expiring restrictions on building heights and 65 degree angle of recession from the mid-point on the street. This was a reasonable attitude for the council to accept. The building complies, because it is attached to a lower car parking building, with the plot ratio requirements in the new scheme. These requirements, in conjunction with the 65 degree recession plane, were designed to encourage tower blocks rather than massive, walllike buildings.

There is much to commend in the A.M.P. Society’s ambitious building plans. Yet the approval that the council felt compelled to give to the plans contains a direful warning about the future of Cathedral Square. The committee was concerned that “ this tower block may unduly deprive the Square of “warmth and light by shading what is to be “ developed into an important pedestrian area ”. In winter, when light and warmth are so desirable in the Square, the 130 ft building will—like its neighbour, the Government Life Building—cast a shadow over virtually the whole of the pedestrian area of the Square between the base of the building and the Cathedral. If other redevelopment around the north side of the Square reaches a similar height much of the pedestrian area of the Square will be denied sunlight all day throughout a great part of the year. This would make nonsense of the commendable goal of making the Square a more attractive place for people.