Deputy Mayor backs Burwood pylon route

Press, 30 June 1982, Page 1

Deputy Mayor backs Burwood pylon route

The controversial Brom-ley-Marshland power pylon route will be recommended to a special public meeting next month by Cr Rex Lester. Chairman of the Christchurch City Council's public utilities committee.

The July 27 meeting may be the last chance for opponents of the eastern suburbs route to make submissions on the project. Under the proposal, New Zealand Electricity would build a power transmission line from Bromley to a Marshland sub-station yet to be built, and from there to Eyreton in North Canterbury.

That would give a security of supply to the eastern suburbs that all other parts of the Municipal Electricity Department area already have.

Cr Rex Lester said yesterday that he would recommend that the council should reaffirm its requirement for greater security of supply to the Bromley sub-station, now served by a double circuit pylon line over the Port Hills. '

He realised that opponents of the pylons might be concerned about his recommendation. but he said it was in everyone’s, interest to have a

positive recommendation in front of the July meeting. Most of the 500 people who attended a 1980 public meeting on the pylon proposal were opposed to a tower transmission line along either of two suggested routes.

Cr Lester’s recommendation would say that the complete line’ from Eyreton to Bromley, should be built. He said that the council should also reaffirm its requirement for a new point of power supply at Marshland, and that the council should support New Zealand Electricity in gaining acceptance of the project. Cr Lester said that the special public utilities committee meeting would give people in the proposed power line area a chance to put their case again. “By prior arrangement, they can make submissions to that meeting,” he said.The meeting would be advertised, and all groups and individuals who had made earlier submissions would be informed.

The M.E.D. takes its supply from four points: Addington, Papanui, Bromley, and Islington. All those points except Bromley, are supplied by at least two separate tower lines.

A double line south from Marshland to Bromley would ensure continuity of' supply to eastern suburbs if something happened to the present single line into Bromley. The preferred pylon route would cross two Drainage Board oxidation ponds and Bexley rubbish tip land before joining the future Wools-. ton-Burwood expressway alignment. It would cross the Avon River past the end of Bexley Road, and continue north through Burwood Plantation and Bottle Lake Forest.

A joint committee of representatives of the City Council, Waimairi District Council, Nature Conservation Council, and New Zealand Electricity was set up to consider 61 submissions and objections received after the proposal was made.

The existing or zoned residential area crossed by the proposed pylons is along I.Bkm of the total route of 10.33 km.

According to a joint committee report on the proposal, studies on property effects in the areas of other urban transmission lines “have produced ho evidence to support the contention that a long-term, generalised devaluation takes place.”

New Zealand Electricity has estimated that it could build an overhead power line between Bromley and Marshland for $2.1 million at present costs, compared with a cost of between $3O million and $4O million for an underground cable which would require a cleared “no man’s land” along its length and noisy cooling stations every I.skm.

Mr N. F. Pipe, chairman of the .Anti-Pylon Action Committee, said last evening that he was “most concerned” that Cr Lester had already announced that the project should go ahead. He said that announcement was out of order, since it could be seen as tantamount to saying that a decision had already been made, and would not be changed by further public submissions. An anti-pylon meeting would be held on Tuesday at 7.30 p.m. at. the Wainoni Primary School..