Policy on university town site

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33521, 30 April 1974, Page 1

Policy on university town site

Final recommendations on the (ate of the eastern end ol the I niy ersily ol Canterbury town site are unlikely to be made until June.

The X ice-Chancellor of the university (Professor N. (• Phillips) told a meeting of the university Council yesterday that there appeared to be a number of misconceptions about the future of the town site. "The university policy is. and alwav s has been since 1949. that all departments 1 • should be united at 11am," Professor Phillips said. This did not, however, pre-| elude the university having occasional use of some of the buildings at the western end |of the site. But no funds pro-! vidi d for the universilv from I the education allocation icottld be diverted lor the preservation of historic build lings. Referring to submissions

presented recently to a com mittee of the university Coun cil on the use of the tow” site. Professor Phillips said that one group suggested an ambitious plan ol develop mem. winch envisaged the multiple use of the whole I site. ‘This is an interesting scheme, but it has yet to b> established that it is tinanci • allv practicable. It would ilso involve the waiving or 'moderation of restrictions which the City Council has 'indicated that it would be I likely to impose on the use lof the site, according to the I plan proposed by this council and approved by the Gov eminent. Nevertheless. I would expect this council, as tar as possible, to remain flexible in its thinking.” The Chancellor of the um versttv (Mi J. N. Matson) said that the universilv wished t« • make a gift to the people ol Christchurch of the while of the town site, partly in the form of land and buildings and partly in the form of money raised, by disposing 'of as much of the eastern end of the site as was necessarv “The motive which Jed to the present policy being adopted was the wish to pie serve as much as we practic allv could of the old build ings and to provide a fund •for the maintenance and I strengthening of them for • making them available for suitable public use.” For several years the university had sought to interest various groups m offering practical suggestions for the use of the site.