Council may buy unwanted motorway land

Press, 21 July 1982, Page 14

Council may buy unwanted motorway land

A 37-perch triangular block of land which was surplus to the requirements for the Northern Motorway might be bought by the Kaiapoi Borough Council.

A resident with property adjacent had shown interest in buying the land, but Cr M. O. Cleland said that because of proposed town planning restrictions in the-area it would be better if the council owned it.

It is planned to reserve a 40-metre strip beside the motorway, ’south of Ohoka Road to the borough boundary, and to include within it a 25-metre wide, reserve. Because the land came within the proposed reserves area, the council decided to “investigate” its purchase. Report criticised Cr C. W. D. Hodgson said that a report in the July 8 issue of "The Press,” about a town planning committee meeting, had a “misleading headline” and contained incorrect statements.

The report referred to a legal decision which . the council had commissioned concerning a two-year dispute about a garage at Laurel Lane, Kaiapoi. It said that the opinion had “upheld the council’s actions,” but Cr Hodgson said that that was incorrect..Cr P. I. Redmond said that the

opinion had “partly upheld' the council’s actions and had > “partly not upheld them."

Rubbish Cr Redmond questioned the reserves and harbour committee’s recommendation that a sub-committee be set up to “plan the future for refuse disposal.”

He said that a similar committee had been established "18 months or more ago” and that it was time that the council "made up its mind.”

The Mayor (Mr H. W. Cumberland) said that the committee which Cr Redmond - referred to had been appointed before Kaiapoi had joined the metropolitan refuse scheme.

"The Planning Tribunal has said that the land fill site can go ahead but I don’t know how they are going to get the rubbish there. The cost involved with providing access will be in the millions, too much for this council,” he said. Loan

The council heard that a $27,000 ; loans application to fund its sewerage redemption scheme had been approved by the National Provident Fund. It will receive a first instalment of $19,300 for 10 years, at 13 per cent interest.