Motives queried

Press, 11 April 1977, Page 15

Motives queried

The motives for the Christchurch City Council's not; backing down on an agreement made with the Paparua County Council about the future' of the Denton Park and English Park cycling tracks were questioned on Wednesday. Mr G. D. Reid, chairman of the Canterbury Track Cycling Committee, said he was .“astounded” that the City Council had decided to proceed with its recommendation That the English Park track Ibe scrapped. I He did not accept that the ; council should have been jbound to its '■promise” to' I Paparua to regard Denton ■Park as the sole venue for Track cycling in Christchurch. “Councils are notable for their breaking of promises to! ratepayers and to other councils" — and here Mr Reid pointed to Paparua’s withdrawal from the rubbish- 1 disposal scheme — “and so! why be so hidebound this time?” When asked if financial considerations might have entered into the City Council’s’ decision,to remove the English Park cycling track and ienlarge the soccer pitch, Mr [Reid was non-commital. He; could not say if this was the

case. he said, but he had read tin "The Press'" two or three months ago that "another sport"' (soccer) wa- reported to have offered $lO,OOO towards the redevelopment of English Park. As a ratepayer, Mr Reid questioned the financial return of building an inter-national-size soccer pitch at I English Park, when the council had a perfectly good one at Queen Elizabeth II Park "I can’t see that it will bring the council anv more 'revenue, but simply divide it between two venues — and at the same time, it is destroying an asset.” Mr Reid ‘said. ‘‘l do not consider anv council has ever been given a mandate to destroy a facillity.” he said By the same |token, why bother building a sports complex at Centennial Park, for instance, when there lis such a great complex at 'Queen Elizabeth II Park.” Mr Reid also saw irons in a complex being built at Centennial Park, the headquarters of the old Christchurch City Football Club, which Iwas now under the umbrella of Christchurch United, the club which was pressing for I the destruction of the English Park cycling track.