Govt to re-examine sale of land

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33095, 9 December 1972, Page 16

Govt to re-examine sale of land

If no commitment has been made, the sale by the National Government of Grown land on the Bumside High School frontage to Memorial Avenue will be re-examined with a view to retaining the land rather than selling it for housing.

The Prime Minister (Mr Kirk) gave this information yesterday in reply to “Down, Down Damned Fence,” the writer of a letter to “The Press,”, who asked whether the promise made by the Labour candidate for Riccarton (Dr D. I. Jackson) that the land would not be sold would be kept. Mr Kirk said that the Minister of Education (Mr Amos) would be asked to examine the whole position as soon as possible. “During the election, I said that I did not know what stage had been reached by the outgoing Government in offering these sections for sale,” said Mr Kirk. “Firm commitments that have been made will be honoured." When Mr Kirk’s statement was referred to the Commissioner of Crown Lands (Mr G. Mollet) last evening, he said he had no comment to make other than that all 11 sections had been taken up. There has been controversy for more than two years

about the sale of the Memorial Avenue sections. Appeals were made to the previous Minister of Education, Mr Pickering, by Christchurch members of Parliament, and in petitions opposing the disposal of the land on the school frontage. But in September, Mr Pickering said that the Government had decided that it would not reconsider its decision to sell the sections.

The Bumside High School board of governors battled for a long time to retain six sections on the school’s

Memorial Avenue frontage. These sections are part of a 75-acre Crown subdivision bounded by Memorial Avenue and Grahams Road.

In September, the Lands and Survey Department invited applications from persons interested in buying 11 sections on Memorial Avenue adjoining the school. Prices ranged from $7BOO to $B4OO. Last month, the department disposed of the 11 sections at an average price of $BO4O. The whole sale realised $88,450. .