Sunday ice-skating ban will stay

Press, 3 July 1978, Page 7

Sunday ice-skating ban will stay

The Heathcote County i C uncil has reaffirmed its decision to prohibit the use of; the Centaurus Road ice-i skating rink for public en-j tertainment on Sundays. This decision, reached atj last evening’s meeting of the council, caps a protracted wrangle of petition and counter-petition which followed a similar decision of the council a few months ago. At that time the council declined an application from the proprietors of the rink for permission to open on Sunday afternoons for public use, although skating club members do use the rink on Sundays. Since then the council has received a petition from 385 Christchurch residents, 22 within the county, calling for the decision to be reversed' and a petition from 323 high ' school pupils also asking for Sunday opening. The school pupils’ petition.! however, included signatures! such as “Batman,” and the! county chairman (Mr J. M. McKenzie) drew the council’s! attention to this.

A third petition, signed by 78 residents in the neighbourhood of the skating rink.

urged the council to adhere to its original decision. According to Cr D. J. Patchett this petition included the names “almost without exception of everyone adjoining the rink.”

Inspector P. P. Brady, who attended the council meeting, outlined the experience of the police with a “very small element” which congregated outside the rink. The council had referred the matter to the police after a meeting with residents at which there had been allegations of several forms of disorderly behaviour, including a claim that a resident had been urinated on and that bottles were smashed on driveways and litter cast into gardens on frequent occasions.

Inspector Brady said that ' his own inquiries, subsequent I to the meeting of councillors 'and residents, had not subjstantiated the complaints, i Cr B. K. Roberts said that | this was because many people i were scared to make their I complaints official and that jshe knew of residents who • were fearful of victimisation I if they did pursue the matter with the police. I Inspector Brady said there was no complaint about

behaviour inside the rink—a view supported by the council—and that the trouble outside came from a very small element.

“I don’t think the problem there is any worse than anywhere else around town where young people gather,” said Inspector Brady. Mr McKenzie said he was most disappointed that the residents who had made their complaints to the council had not seen fit to follow them up with the police. "I am most disappointed that they should let us down in this way. The councillors have been used in this,” he said.

By five votes to one (Cr R. H. T. Thompson dissenting), the council decided to adhere to its previous decision banning the use of the rink for public entertainment on Sundays, with the exception that special application could be made to the council to meet unusual circumstances.

Later in the meeting the council agreed unanimously to just such an exception: the rink will be open between 1.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. this Sunday for public use, the proceeds going to Telethon ’7B.