Another look to be given motorways

Press, 7 April 1978, Page 4

Another look to be given motorways

( The Christchurch City] Council should consider; spending more money to buy motorway-designated properties in cases of hardship, the town-planning com-' jmittee said yesterday. At the same time, the com-; (mittee called for a report set-1 I ting out just how important; motorways really were for* ’he city under present traffic forecasts, and implications of; getting rid of their designa-1 1 tions. “We want to know what; ; the situation is, and what* ( steps would have, to be taken, to change it.” said the com-j ;mittee chairman (Sir Terence; ( McCombs). He had read in a recent British report that forecasts of expected traffic 1 volumes had been changed; drastically; predicted volume I rises were less than half than '.when street needs were first; judged. “The present situation, could be substantially; (altered.” Sir Terence said, if local forecasts showed the' same drop. Some city motorway and'

widening designations were made by the council, bui those in the most controver sial areas, such as the northern motorway corridor in Si Albans, are Ministry oi Works designations. The Acting City Plannei (Mr W. T. Williams) saic that it could take up to three years even for the council tc change its own designations if that were the decision. Both the M.W.D. and Can terbury Regional Planning Authority would inevitably object, since council designa tions were an integral pari of the apnroved transportation network. In the meantime, the council faces problems over per sons asking it to make hardship purchases of their desig nated properties. A previously confidentia housing report, released yes ferdav without the names ol specific property owners said there were too many anplications. amounting tc about $400,000 in property value, for the funds available Since 1974, there has beer a big rise in the number e'

;(owners seeking hardship pur-' chases by the council. Demands have been met by loans and direct alloca-; (; tions from rates. Hardship purchase funds! available over the next two (years may be less than .$300,000, falling $lOO,OOO short of the applications. (More applications are expected this financial year. In time, hardship money provided directly from rates (would be paid back to the (council through National (Roads Board construction I subsidies. Any motorway corridor; 'owners who had their pro-1 I perties when the land was (designated can. by law, ask! ‘the council either to uplift (the designation or to buy the ' property. ( “If the council is not in a position to purchase, this i could cause some embarrass-m-nt.” the housing report ' i said. The council could not keep on raising hardship loans, since the servicing of ■'those loans could become ” critical.”