Offices in old Normal School?

Press, 24 June 1981, Page 6

Offices in old Normal School?

.. • m The -Canterbury . Council ;tad. objected to. a,proposal to ’'Convert ;r..th,e 01d,,-Normal jehoof x 'into apartments, Suffice space, and Ja. restau®ht.because of its effect on ® proposal to realign Mon-S-eAly Street/ a Christchurch ®ityjpouncil district scheme jjSearihg: was told y'esterdhyX: The hearing ,w,as consider-, xapplipatiqii fot'-'plan/ ®ngf consent. from Paynter •<hd /Hamilton Property Developments. It- has applied .fbr a specified- ’departure -the district scheme to Sljbw the old- Normal School, •Which is at' present zoned .dentiul, to be used for Offices as-.:, well as apartS .The’ TJriited Council’s re-/ ‘&onal/trafficengineer(MrJ., J>.~ Robb; 'Safe that the couhSil,/ .did , hot object to the preservation of. the’old Nor-' $5l School ’--'i

However, the plans, to save the building would jnferfert ■with the road, works plannet -for Cranmer Square, Whicl were needed to safeguard th( bnerway system and 'the re gional . road network. Tht City Council; decision on th< road ..widening- • througl /'Cranmer Square.was yet t< . be announced. . The objection was. to mak< the point that" road' wideninj had to be. considered, he said Alternatives to the widen ing of Montreal Street, whicl would mean the removal o: part of the . old Norma Sphool, had been suggested If the school was preservec there would , be an /edei greater need' for a,' corhpre htnsive look sti the.? Whole. o. CTanmer Square. ; . ... •A director 6£ Paynter and /Hamilton Property -Develop-

ments (Mr M. G. R. Hutcheson) told the hearing that the refurbishing of Cashfields showed that the proposal could work. Engineers’ reports showed the old Normal School could be strengthened. The proposal, which included; the . building of 29 apartments' rind '929 sq m of studio "apd office space with the Octagijnl- used as a restaurant,' would show a return .'of 13 per cent-on the capital « 'investment. Making the ’’whole building residential would not be as economic, although more space could be used as residential accommodation if the financial position improved. TSllndcr the proposal-a pub; .lie.. trust. would be’' formed with the people of Christchurch as the owners, and the Housing Corporation or similar ? body as mortgagee. ' ’

Public donations amounting to about $40,000. would be required for the project, said Mr Hutcheson.' 1 ; -b.

Discussions with the Housing Corporation , over the funding of the scheme would start, early next month and favourable terms had been offered'for the purchase of the land.

...Before the meeting. Mr Hutcheson'said the corporation would be asked for a loan for as much as possible of the $900,000 or so needed to refurbish the main building and northern block. The Lands and Survey Department, ’ which-.(owns the •jand, had-agreed to carry the $225,000 cost of the land Tor 30 years,-and interest only would be paid -in tha.t_time.

The City Council’s senior planning officer (Mr< M. J. G.

Garland) >. said that aside from reading matters he had no doubt the proposal could qualify for a specified departure. The preservation of the building was desirable in the public interest and. the uses proposed conformed with the spirit of the zoning provisions.

The main clash was with the plan to realign Montreal Street. Mr Garland suggested that more car-parking spaces -be included in the plan. The Canterbury United Council-was the only objector to the proposal. Letters in support of the plan came from the Christchurch Civic Trust, the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand '.lnstitute of Architects, and Mr: J. W. Thacker;

• The hearings committee reserved its decision on the application.'