Farmers resent rebuff

Press, 24 March 1977, Page 3

Farmers resent rebuff

A rebuff by the Regional; Planning Authority raiser' temperatures at the North Canterbury Federated Fanners meeting yesterday. Federated Farmers had asked to be made an associate member of the authority, but the response was not at all welcoming. Mr C. B. Miliar, the authority’s director of planning, had said that it would be “complicated” for Federated Farmers to be an associate member. “!’m surprised and amazed,” said Mr P. G. Morrison, chairman of the North Canterbury provincial executive. He read a list of bodies! that were already associate' members — including the! drainage, hospital, education,! transport and electric power! boards, several Government;

; departments, and the InstiI tute of Architects. He said he wondered at the (authority’s responsibility, in view of its reaction to a request from the people directly interested in land use in Canterbury. Mr R. J. Gerard ’Oxford) said Mr Barry Rich, chairman of the regional planning authority, had said in his last annual report that the authority wanted the cooperation of all concerned. “And yet when we come forward, the door is closed,” said Mr Gerard. It was decided to wait for ■ a formal reply to the applij cation, and if it was negative, 'to reapply on the grounds ■ that r farmers were vitally i affected as owners or occuI piers of land that would be (involved in further urban ex-1 pansion.!