Merivale too commercial?

Press, 11 August 1982, Page 4

Merivale too commercial?

The amount of land in Merivale owned by institutions is worrying residents.

The matter was raised at the annual meeting of the Merivale Precinct Society, attended by about 40 residents and Crs D. C. Close and M. J. Glubb. One resident said that the Rangi-Ruru School had been buying houses at the western end of Merivale Lane.

“Already almost 20 per cent of the land in the Merivale ■ precinct is occupied by institutions and the residential character of the neighbourhood is being lost." he said.

It was a shortcoming of the district scheme that schools could get into '‘the property speculation business." he said. Cr Close said that schools were a permitted use in residential areas., and that they had ; always been thought to be a compatible development.

However, he said that if the properties were being “let out" or used for commercial purposes they might perhaps be rated as commercial properties, which would provide "some means of control."

The meeting resolved that City Council staff be asked to investigate the uses being made of the properties that the schools had bought, “with reference to the amount of rates being paid."

it also resolved to “inform the council" of its concern about the "large proportion of land in the precinct owned by institutions." It said that it deplored the erosion of the residential character of the neighbourhood.

The committee was asked to "enter into a dialogue" with the institutions in the area to make them conscious of their position in the community and of their responsibilities to it.