Land ‘no use’ as reserve

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33959, 27 September 1975, Page 20

Land ‘no use’ as reserve

All trees have been felled and sand dunes levelled on about five acres of land in Marshland proposed as a passive recreation reserve, a planning appeal committee of the Waimairi County Council was told yesterday.

The committee was hearing an objection to the proposed designation from Mr I. R. G. Clarke, as sole executor of the estate of lan Robert George Clarke. It reserved its decision. The estate owns about 35 acres of land, of which the proposed reserve is a part. The affected area is at the rear of numbers 449, 451 and 453 Burwood Road, and adjoins the Waitikiri golf course.

The council proposed the designation partly because the land was attractively covered with sand dunes and trees.

Mr Clarke said that he had had the trees removed and sand levelled because he wanted to cover the area with topsoil and sow grass. He wanted to use the land for stud sheep farming.

“The land is not suitable for a recreation reserve now that the natural vegetation cover has been removed and now that the sand hills on the land have been removed also,” he said. “The land involved is simply a piece of flat sandy land with no vegetation cover and therefore has no attraction for use as a passive recreation reserve.”

The committee also heard an objection from Demolition and Reading Contractors (New Zealand), Ltd,

which said that it had a contract with the owner of the land allowing it to take sand from the area. It felt that it might lose this right if the area were designated a reserve. Two other objectors, Mr G. S. Riggs, of 453 Burwood Road, and Waitikiri Links, Ltd, supported the proposed designation but wanted changes in the access to the proposed reserve.