Squares road plan may not proceed

Press, 31 March 1980, Page 6

Squares road plan may not proceed

Proposed road realignments through Latimer Square and Cranmer- - Square may -have to be reconsidered “in the light of public opinion,” according to the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H. G ; Hay). ... He believed most councillors had expected the proposals to be controversial and he personally had hoped for plenty of public comment on them, he said. He had no desire to be party to any council descisions which ran counter to the? - wishes of -the -people “however acceptable they might be to traffic engineers and town’planners.”

He had been asked to comment by “a number of people’? on newspaper advertisements, inserted 7by the Deputy . Mayor (Mri P; J. R. Skellerup), stating his opposition to the Latimer Square and Cranmer Square propo : sals.

Mr Skellerup’s actions had

drawn attention to the importance of all citizens being aware of the content of the Christchurch City District Scheme review, for which objections close today. “One of . the main objects of the review is .to secure public reaction to any major proposed change in the scheme and clearly the proposals for the possible long term realignment of the oneway streets through Cranmer and Latimer squares fall into this category,” said Mr Hay. Because the council was obliged to review its theme every five years the document could not be regarded as “hard and fast” but was always open for re-exam-ination and change. At this stage of the city’s development and while he was its Mayor there was no likelihood that the proposed road realignments through Latimer Square and' Cranmer Square would be made

The changes were not intended until the end of the planning period, about tlae year 2000. . The proposed expressway along Avonside ,Drive might also not be necessary. The question of approval by the whole council of recommendations on the district scheme by the hearings sub-committee was a “grey area” at present.

“The council would normally accept the recommendations of the hearing panel,” said Mr Hay. .“The whole subject’ is one which is the subject of : a legal opinion.” >. ; ,■ ; Mr Hay said he would hot be a member of the hearing panel. He did not feel that making known his views on the proposed road' changes in the two squares would pre-empt the hearings. It was his “impression” that opposition would be strong enough to overturn the realignment proposals. ;