‘People should be consulted’

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33665, 15 October 1974, Page 20

‘People should be consulted’

Consultation with the community was seen by the Labour Government as necessary for any future projects such as the Christchurch southern motorway, the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) said last evening.

After consultation, more socially acceptable methods; of carrying out such projects other than “knocking down 1 nearly 300 houses” could be found, Mr Rowling said, opening the Labour Party) campaign for the Sydenham by-election. ; , It was understandable that': feelings should run high' about “the concrete serpent”'! when people, many of them elderly, had to forfeit their/ homes to make way for the i motorway, he said. In 1969 Mr Norman Kirk i had attacked the previous Government for what he called their “downright im-| moral” plans to cause the demolition of 297 houses, Mr Rowling said. But then the'

Labour Opposition was in no position to stop the motorway. If National members of Parliament from Christchurch had backed up their opposition with votes in the House something might have been done, but they did not, he said. Now the point of no return had been reached on the project. However, he said, he was not going to deny that the motorway was an answer to a definite need to move traffic.