Hornby’s growth — a suburb of industry, shops, homes

Press, 17 October 1978, Page 22

Hornby’s growth — a suburb of industry, shops, homes

Hornby is today one of Christchurch’s most important suburbs — the centre of thriving industrial and commercial development and One of the city’s fastest growing residential areas. The ceremony last month, when the Prime Minister opened the country’s 100,000 th State house in a Hei Hei subdivision, was an indication of this residential growth.

Hornby’s residential growth has followed on the establishment, from the 1950 s on, of several large industrial and commercial firms in or close to the district community’s two square miles. Some of these firms, like G.U.S. itself, have moved to Hornby from other parts of Christchurch; others have begun their Christchurch or South Island operations in Hornby from the outset.

Most of Hornby’s growth has occured since the last war. Until that time, Hornby has grown only slowly from being a scattered collection of country homes and of small farms. Growth began about the end of the nineteenth century, and it was in the 1890 s that Hornby’s first store, the forerunner of the large number of retail businesses that now make up Hornby’s commercial centre, opened its doors on the Main South Road.

Some industry came to Hornby before the Second World War — the free zing works at nearby Islington sparked some of the district’s growth, and there were chemical works in the area (anticipating today’s large fertiliser works on the Main South Road) from about the time of the First World War. But although Hornby be-

came, with these developments, recognisable as an independent township, with its own schools, shops and churches, the real growth was still to come.

The relatively pros’ perous 1950 s and early 1960 s saw several large industries making their home in Hornby. Crown Crystal Glass (later to become part of Alex Harvey Industries) was one of the first arrivals. Later, in its train, came other divisions of A.H.1., and this company’s growth in the area has continued until today. Winstones soon followed with its concrete block making plant; Hume’s concrete pipe making plant expanded; other businesses followed. Hornby has long since lost its rural character, although it began its life as a partly rural, partly industrial township that was quite distinct from Christchurch with which it has now physically merged. Hornby has attracted such a large number of businesses partly because it is one of the few areas close to Christchurch with relatively large areas of industrial and commercial land still awaiting development. Hornby’s other great advantage is that it is easily accessible from main roads and railways. The South Island Main Trunk Line and State Highway One both run through the middle of the town.

The airport is of quite easy access from Hornby and once the proposed Southern Motorway is completed, access to the port of Lyttelton by road will be greatly improved. But the planners respon-

sibie for channelling industrial and commercial development to Hornby are determined that being an industrial suburb should not mean that the town has the unattractive features of ill-planned industrial areas. The residential parts of the town are being kept separate from the industrial and commercial parts, and generally high standards are being maintained by businesses to avoid a grimy, unattractive appearance in the industrial parts of the town. Administratively, Hornby has been within Paparua County since its formation in 1911. In 1953 a County Town was established, with a population then of 2500. By 1965 the population had grown to 6500. Another twelve years later, the population is more than 8500. In 1971, the County Town became a County Borough, and in 1974 the County Borough in its

turn became a District Community. Some of the growth of what people think of as Hornby has taken place outside the boundaries of the administrative unit of Hornby which has gone under these various names, partly because the boundaries were drawn rather tightly in 1953 to take in only the then populated areas, and to exclude areas of land of low rateable value. The growth of Hornby in years to come may not be as spectacularly rapid as the growth of the past three decades. But with a well-developed industrial base and with increasing importance as a regional shopping area, Hornby seems destined to be one of the areas of Christchurch which will continue to grow, even through periods of economic uncertainty. The opening of the Hornby Mall extensions at the present time is evidence of that.