Runway approach to Minister

Press, 20 October 1981, Page 1

Runway approach to Minister

The Christchurch Airport runway extension issue could be clarified at a meeting in Wellington later this week. Cr Rex Lester, the City Council’s public utilities committee chairman, said last evening that “some technical areas" had to be clarified after a meeting with Civil Aviation Division officials vesterdav.

Another meeting — this time with the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr McLachlan) would be held this week. Yesterday's meetings had disclosed some technical details of the runway project “at some length,” Cr Lester said. Now it was up to Mr McLachlan and the Cabinet to resolve the issues. But there was no reason to believe there was "any retraction from their intention to approve a runway extension,” he said. He believed that Mr McLachlan had supported the extension.

Cr M. F. Fahey said he had been told that the disputed Harewood Road

deviation, needed before an extension could be built, was part of a $400,000 project. The reason for the slight delay had been that the entire proposal had to be approved. “I believe this is only a hiccup in the total package," he said. There was no need to take party political stands on a project that was important for the entire South Island.

“If people are playing party politics with our facilities, it is not us,” Cr Lester said. There had already been “a loss of millions of dollars because of delays to date” on the extension proposal, he said. No additional information had been put forward by the City Council at yesterday’s meeting “because there was no need to." he said. He would not retract any of his statements on the issue last week. “Not one thing has changed.” Cr Lester said. Last week's letter to the council from Mr McLachlan said the extension length still had to be reviewed.