MR D. C. CLOSE Urban renewal urged

Press, 6 November 1978, Page 24

MR D. C. CLOSE Urban renewal urged

The candidates

• FENDALTON

Election n

Housing and shopping mall developments are of major concern to Fendalton voters, according to the Labour candidate, Mr D. C. Close.

Mr Close uses this to illustrate his claim that the sitting member for Fendalton — also the Minister of Housing — is not doing enough for the electorate.

Aged 42, Mr Close is a . ecundary school teacher and a sitting member of the Christchurch City Council. This is the first time he has contested a General Election, but believes that his strength is that be will be acceptable almost everywhere in what is a varied electorate.

He says the housing an industrial area across the railway line, stock in Riccarton is dc-

Fendalton suggests a high-class suburb, but Mr Close says the electorate

also includes a State housing area in Bryndwr, older housing in Riccarton and

teriorating. Ihe growth of ownership flats has stopped and older houses are being converted into flats. Some areas look run down, and others are unimaginative, with rectangular houses in rectangular sections. “There’s an opportunity for some urban renewal in Riccarton — a bit more imagination in redeveloping.” says Mr Close. In the State housing areas the possibility of buying a new home’ is a very hot issue, he says. Tenants are also concerned about higher rents in Housing Corporation dwellings. The development of larger shopping malls and the effects of these on the. community is another

issue of concern to M Close. He says the extension.to the Merivale and Ric carton malls serve e larger area of Christ church, but the repercus sions in traffic volume congestion and noise tai'

on residents in these two areas. Married. with three children, Mr Close says that many parents are concerned whether their

eenage children will be able to get jobs — although unemployment -s not an obvious problem in Fendalton. He charges the Government with mismanagement of the economy. “They haven't made any basic, changes in the structure of the economy.' he says. There must be expansion of industry and production. with local goods replacing imports, and industries retained in the south. Although there would have to be a 13 per cent swing to put Mr Close in Parliament, he feeis it k not beyond the bounds of possibility, and points to a similar swing in the last election in other electorates.