Fight ahead in Merivale over more car-parks

Press, 2 June 1981, Page 1

Fight ahead in Merivale over more car-parks

Merivale residents are preparing for another battle with G.U.S. Properties to stop it from turning further residential land into car-parks for the Merivale Mall.

The general manager for G.U.S., Mr K. G. Daldorf, confirmed last evening that the section on Papanui Road, the former site of the Salvation Army's “Resthaven,” and two sections behind it, .would be used as car-parks for the,Merivale Mall, should planning permission to do so be gained.

G.U.S. had applied to the Christchurch City Council for a specified departure, but had not yet been told of a date for the hearing. The land is at present zoned residential.

When the company is notified of the date for the impending hearing, the carpark plans will be advertised in Christchurch newspapers and residents will have one month to make their objections known. The Merivale Precinct Society has announced that a public meeting will be held “within a

week” of the advertisements’ appearing. The chairman of the so- 7 ciety, Mr John Thacker, said yesterday that the comparty's expansion plans were “a creeping disease.” New carparks would create a “terrific” traffic problem on Papanui Road, and encourage more people to the area. The society had been suspicious of G.U.S.’s plans for some time. The company had bought “quite a few” properties in the area, said Mr Thacker. The old Resthaven building was demolished last week. Mr Thacker said that several residents were worried about developments encroaching on their properties. Some boundary fences had already been demolished by G.U.S,, without the residents being informed first. His society had advised these people to seek legal opinion, he said. This, however, did not ease the

distress of those who had lost their back boundaries. One boundary, adjoining the Methodist Church, had been left standing. Other properties were in danger of being isolated, and therefore devalued. The Merivale Precinct Society was formed originally to oppose the building of the Papanui Road mall.

Mr Thacker said he expected hundreds to attend the public meeting. “We have got to fight this, and I think we will find an overwhelming majority of residents against it,” he said. “It has got to be fought to preserve the area.”

The public meeting would provide a platform for the opposition. The Precinct Society would prepare submissions for the planning hearing, and also encourage private individuals to do the same. The more people who could be seen to be against the proposal, the more likely was the council to be persuaded into not allowing the zone to be changed.

Mr Thacker said he expected most opposition to come from those living in the immediate area; those who were worried that Merivale might soon become a commercial area.

One solution put forward by Mr Thacker was the completion of the St Albans motorway proposal, to remove the pressure of traffic from Papanui Road. This could disadvantage some people, he said, but it was important to keep to the city plan. Mr Daldorf, when told of the impending protest, said everyone’s views would • be considered carefully at the hearing. The expansion was wanted because the present car-parking space was inadequate. The car-parks behind the Merivale Mall .serviced the entire Merivale Shopping centre.