Akaroa medical centre supported, but council plan rejected

Press, 1 October 1979, Page 4

Akaroa medical centre supported, but council plan rejected

Most people who answj ered a quest i on na ire 'on a medical centre for Akaroa have supported dhe idea in principle but rejected the model proposed by the Akaroa County Council.

The council planned a $50,000 basic 74 squaremetre complex for doctor and para-medical teams, but many respondents wanted the council to use either the existing hospital or the recently closed courthouse, the council was told yesterday. A total of 1400 council questionnaires were sent out to test community opinion; 392 were returned, a 28 per cent response. The council’s plan was supported by 134 people and 99 opposed it with no comment. Eightynine people wanted the hospital used. 20 the courthouse, 11 opposed the ratepayer method of funding, and two thought the proposal too expensive.

“There was only a difference of 22 between those who wanted the council’s plan, and those who did not,” said Cr D. S. Hayward. “I think a lot of people who might have supported it did nothing about it.”

Courthouse The council expressed interest in the vacant courthouse building. The Ministry of Works has been advised the property is now surplus, and will offer it to other departments. If no interest is shown it will be passed to the Lands and Survey Department for disposal or other use. The County Clerk (Mr G. E. Hunn) said the registrar of the Magistrate's Court in Christchurch would recommend the council’s interest to the Justice Department.

Lighthouse The Akaroa Lighthouse I Preservation Society has I told the council that' it can I “in no way undertake i reclamation to the extent the council has requested.” jin July the council perImitted erection of the historic lighthouse on a site i south of the main wharf, ' provided that it went nearer i the sea than the society intended, and that reclamation was done at the society’s expense. It would also be improper to ask service groups to help with a project that was now 50 times ’the size for which the society had originally sought help, said the society’s secretary (Mr G. A. Nolan). Mr Nolan said that the council’s estimate for site preparation only, was $15,000. However," the harbour engineer (Mr R. Morris) said a more compact site without piles could be prepared for $5OOO. “The cost of $5OOO is within our capabilities provided the reclamation is not too costly." said Mr Nolan. The society wants to site the tower closer to the south-east corner of the wharf to eliminate a lot of reclamation work. Although the land would be reclaimed at the society’s cost, the society would not have legal ownership of it, said Mr Nolan. The County Engineer (Mr K. A. Paulin) said he agreed with Mr Morris’s opinion on structural works, but Cr W. Mcßae said the council had only reluctantly granted the larger site. .“Surely we are not going to accept this request,” he said. The chairman, (Mr T. J. Brocherie) said the society

'was really wanting a departure from the decision given. Cr D. E. Wright, who is chairman of the Akaroa Community Council, said it Cj would probably want “to stick to its original deci- . jsion." I The council referred the "■matter to the community ..j council for a recommend- ’ ation. v ( | . . , Licence supported e! Councillors gave unani(mous support to an Akaroa r mau who has been declined o;a rock-lobster licence by the s. Ministry of Agriculture and rj Fisheries. i-( The Ministry said the ape'piicant. Mr a' B. McMaster ..•had “no history of in-j jvolvement with rock-lobster e fishery.” and had not pre-.’ e viously held a permit. s Cr G. R. de Latour saidi •- that although the depart-j Intent had put a moratorium! tlon new licences to con-1 e serve the lobster resource,! this was an application for| - transfer of an existing II- - cence. t “This man has already I bought the boat from Mr A. e G. Dobbie, who also wants' e to transfer his licence to Mr ; McMaster,” Cr de Latour f said. “If he does not get the t licence he will have to upj root his family, leave the ; district, and find another I job. r “Some person in the department turned him down r on the basis of inexperience, i but Mr McMaster is the son t of an Akaroa' fisherman,” . said Cr de Latour. “He has j spent eight years craying- » fishing with his father, three years working full-time on a ■ ’ trawler, three months at s Stewart Island getting experience in lobster fishing, . and three months working j for Mr Dobbie for nothing.

■ He has also gamed his inshore fishing skipper’s tic- ■ ket.” i The Fisheries Managemem : Division of the Ministry hac no objection to the issue oi the licence. Mr de Latoui said. He had made represen ■ tations to the Minister ol Agriculture (Mr Maclntyre). ■ who had said he would re view Mr McMaster's cast personally. I “We cannot let this one go," said Cr Hayward. “We ' don’t want lobster-fishing ir 1 Akaroa to close." \\ anderiiig Mock The council has found it . can require farmers to erect “stock-proof" fences under (the Local Government i Amendment Act, 1978. It Isays that in the interests of (public convenience, councils jean require the owner or ocjeupier of any land to erect a ("sufficient fence" to the (council’s "satisfaction.” The council had been conjeerned about the danger to ' public safety of numbers of (wandering stock on county j roads. Regional news A letter from the chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation (Mr lan Cross) denied rumours that Canterbury regional news would be broadcast only by the reorganised TV2. County residents do not get TV2 reception. Mr Cross said: “The regional news programme of the reorganised service expected to he launched in midMarch, 1980, w’ill provide for regional news on TVI at 7.30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Garden of Tane The council may hand administration of the Garden

iof Tsne to the Land' and Survey Department. 1 The county engineer said a management plan for the garden would be drafted (more quickly if administration were passed to the department. This would also free the council to use its reserves funds to develop reserves on other lands Under the Reserves Act passed last \ear. managcmient plans must be drafted for all public reserves "Would the department do as good a job as the counjcil?" asked Cr R. K. Craw, j Ihe Community Coutu d will examine the benefits and report to the council lire Malion The Akaroa Volunteer Fite. Brigade is one step nearer building a new station (behind the existing one. Ihe I council has received $20,000 (of a total payment of i 525,000 for the site from the iFire Service. However, work cannot begin until the baliance is paid next year. I The Akaroa Motels, (bought by the council earlier I this year for pensioner flats, are now freehold. Because of (the purchase, and space behind the motels, the Community Council has relinquished its option on an alternative site for pensioner cottages. Cr Wright said present rentals on the flats were not covering maintenance and loan charges. The council agreed that rentals should increase from $8 to $lO a week to form a maintenance fund.