Win some, lose some in city public works

Press, 15 June 1978, Page 17

Win some, lose some in city public works

Story by

STAN DARLING

Photographs by NIGEL TOD

Christchurch residents lose something every time public works bring change into a neighbourhood. Houses, land, or parts of familiar streets have to go. There are also gains. They might look different from the original surrotmdings — and take some getting used to —but they will some day be as familiar as what went before. Expressways are ugly things until their hard edges are softened by mature trees and streetside grass. On the other hand, their construction leaves behind patches of vacant land that could be used for places where residents can stroll, sit, or just enjoy with their eyes as they go past.

Such “pocket parks” have already been planted along stretches of the Brougham Street Expressway and in other road widening areas. More will follow. Since 1970, the Christchurch City Council has provided more than 100 places or builings. Some have been 1 a r g e=s c a 1 e developments, such as Queen Elizabeth II Park, but many have been small gains made because of puttie works. -' - 1 Council officers are expected to :emphasise that future opportunities for such gains in open space — sometimes as trade-offs for lost space — must be made quickly when projects are underway. Innes Road, where

particular pains were taken to retain trees and develop a winding footpath when widening was done, is a recent example. In suburbs such as Sydenham, where expressway building has been a major nuisance for some years, there are hopes for the greening and public use of most of the left-over land. It will not be that easy.

Although the council owns the land, it does not have a free hand to use it Without adequate financial resources. The land was bought with substantial help from National Roads Board funds; that money must be paid back. For example, the new Sydenham Community Centre is on land origi-

nally bought for the expressway. The council had plans for some time to use the area for a family centre and general public use. Now $26,500 must be paid for it from community services estimates. Nearby land, on the other side of Colombo Street opposite Syden* ham Park, is in" the same position. Proposals for public use have been made — perhaps as a landscaped car park for sportsmen — but it would cost the parks and recreation account about $41,000 to buy the council-owned land because of the Roads Board subsidy. Further east along the same expressway,

Brougham Village urban renewal housing was built on land surplus to street requirements. The council’s housing account had to pay full market value to repay the streetworks account. If surplus parcels of land are too small to be used for building, they do not have to be sold either to the council or private buyers, but can be considered part of the street. They can be landscaped. “It is quite an exercise to decide what to do with the bits and pieces.” says the Housing and Property Director (Mr K. R. McNeil). A town-planning report being prepared now is expected to say that

losses in one place should be considered in the total city context. Small landscaped areas are provided when streets are closed at one end, and large areas of designated open space — such as Hansens Park in Opawa — will be developed in the next few years. Reserves have also been created in eight new subdivisions since 1970, along with two outside subdivisions — the Horseshoe Lake Reserve and the Cockayne Reserve along the Avon River. Children's play equipment has been provided in many reserves, mainly in eastern Christchurch, since 1973.