'Bad drafting’ charge

Press, 18 June 1979, Page 5

'Bad drafting’ charge

The Christchurch City Council's district scheme was poorly drafted, the Town Planning Tribunal was told in Christchurch. Mr J. N. Matson, appearing for the Regional Planning Authority in its appeal against a proposed licensed restaurant in Latimer Square, said bad drafting had allowed counsel for the applicants to strain a point. Counsel had said earlier that the scheme was deficient because it did not provide for licensed restaurants in any zone, and that the application before the tribunal was therefore a true specified departure. Mr Matson said that the scheme provided for “restaurants” in commercial and industrial zones, but it should have been made clear that this included licensed restaurants.

“Why the Christchurch City Council cannot make a better job of drafting its scheme, I don’t know,” Mr Matson said.

The Regional Planning Authority has appealed against a Christchurch City Council decision to grant E. and P. B. Losco specified departure approval to open an Italian restaurant in a residential zone at 2 Latimer Square, in a building now used, as a health clinic. The Loscos were the proprietors

of the La Dolce Vita Restaurant, in a leased building which they were forced to leave when the owners decided on demolition. The Loscos want to live on the top floor of the building at 2 Latimer Square and open a kitchen and restaurant for 55 patrons on the ground floor, from 6 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Much had been made of the need in Christchurch for top-class ethnic cuisine, in which the Loscos specialised, Mr Matson said, but the application was simply for a licensed restaurant. This was a permitted use in the commercial zone, which was close to the proposed restaurant.

Mr A. Hearn, who appeared for the Loscos, said that many existing predominant uses in the same residential zone already created as many traffic problems as the proposed restaurant would. He said that the child health clinic, might fall into that category. I However, a Christchurch, Citv Council engineer. Mr D. L. Busch, said that the proposed restaurant would increase traffic problems. About 45 patient vehicle.-, visited the child health clinic each day, but these were spread through the day and most turned on to the

site. Most restaurant patrons would not park on the site, and would arrive at peak traffic times on Fridays. U-turns might be a problem.

Increased traffic congestion in Madras Street and Latimer Square was of regional significance, .Mr Matson said, because Madras Street was an arterial route.