Zone change opposed

Press, 4 August 1981, Page 6

Zone change opposed

Residential land south of Shakespeare Road should not come under industrial zoning. a Christchurch City Council planner told a district scheme review hearing yesterday. Mr B. N. Alexander, a senior planner, said the properties between Waitham and Wilsons roads had been under the former Opawa motorway designation, and the appearance of some properties had declined.

But that was not enough reason to change the zoning, he said. Residents in the area would be able to look forward with more confidence now that their neighbourhood would remain residential. It had not been shown that there was a general lack of

light industrial land in that part of the city.

Such evidence would be needed for 12 objections against residential zoning to be supported. Objectors had argued that light industrial zoning would be more appropriate along Shakespeare Road because the properties faced industrial development on the north side of the street.

Those objectors have been opposed by the Canterbury United Council and some 90 neighbourhood residents trying to keep the land zoned for housing.

Mr Alexander said that a recent survey had shown 27ha of vacant industrial land in the central city, and

3.6 ha of vacant, developed industrial floor space. At the present rate of industrial expansion, it would take 20 years to fill existingareas for such land uses in the city.

The council’s policy for many years had also been to avoid the encroachment of industrial uses into residential zones.

Traffic had decreased in Shakespeare Road since the Brougham Street extension to Opawa Road had been completed, from 13,700 to 7300 vehicles a day. The vehicle count would have been ever lower if the Shakespeare Road route did not lead directly into the industrial area south of the railway tracks in Sydenham.