Call for Rolleston land sale delay

Press, 12 October 1976, Page 43

Call for Rolleston land sale delay

The Government was called upon on Sunday to delay the sale of land at Rolleston until after the release of a report by the Canterbury Regional Planning Authority.

About 80 persons met in the Rolleston Hall to discuss the Government’s decision to sell the land.

The meeting was arranged by the Labour Party, and was addressed by the member of Parliament for Wigram (Mr M. A. Connelly) and the mayoral candidate for Christchurch (Mr A. Clark).

After speeches by Mr Connelly and Mr Clark, the meeting voted on a resolution to delay the sale of land, and on another asking the Government to plan urban development strategy in co-operation with the regional planning authorities, local authorities, the building industry and other persons in the region. Mr Clark told the meeting that he had always been a supporter of the Rolleston new town scheme, and in spite of criticism of it, still was convinced of its need. The scheme was not a new one, having first been mooted by the Canterbury Association before the sale of cheaper land around Christchurch. The merits of the scheme were just as valid today, he said.

The land at Rolleston is thought to be worth only half of what the Government paid for it, and he did not want to see speculators making a mint out of it.

When the regional report was released, he urged al) Rolleston residents to make

known their views on the project. If the Government did nol have the money to develop the town, it should be buill as a joint community exer. cise involving local authorities, private developers and the Government, said Mr Clark.

e Mr Connelly also disagreed with the decision to scrap the it project, and the Government’s p decision to sell the land com It pounded the error. It broke ■- faith with assurances given i- to the Canterbury Regional d Planning Authority, resident* r and landowners, and rente sentatives of local churches