Clubs vie for use of land

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 9

Clubs vie for use of land

Applications by a pony club and a football club for conditional use of the same block ■of land have been heard by the Waimari District Council hearings committee.

The-15 hectare block of land, of Roydale Avenue in Burnside, known as the "Royals Block," is Crown land' administered by the Lands and Survey Department.

The Roydvale Pony Club, which has had the lease on the land for pony grazing for several years, applied for consent to use the land for pony club activities. The application by the Burnside United Association Football Club was for four playing fields and eventually clubrooms on the site. The present lease is a 12month one and the Lands and Survey Department has the right to terminate within one month.

The pony club’s application was for use of the whole block, whereas the football club’s was to use the north end.

There were 40 objections to the pony club’s applica-

tion. from the Resident’s Association of Juniper Avenue, a cul-de-sac which ends at the block, and from residents of Roydale Avenue, at the south end of the block. The residents were worried about traffic congestion; the noise from club activities at week-ends, maintenance of the land; the obstruction of their outlook by pony club jumps, and flies attracted to manure left On the land. The chairman of the Residents’ Association. Mr J. E. Carpenter, said that it would urge the council, should it approve the application, to impose the condition that the only access to the land should be at the north end from Sheffield Crescent, which was zoned industrial.

The question of manure left lying on the ground should also have a condition upon it, he said.

"An assurance that manure be collected weekly and deposited away from residential properties is sought,” he said. A spokesman for the pony club, Mr A. Rogers, said that

vehicular activity would be confined to the designated parking area at the north and, away from the residential area' and horse floats would have access from the Shefffield Crescent end only.

Occasional use of the Roydvale entrance would be made by private cars, walked ponies and some use of floats for the movement of ponies under grazing lease. The use of hailers at club events would be at the south end of the land, again well away from the private dwellings. The club could not possibly remove manure weekly, but it would be broken up by harrowing and top dressing when necessary, he said. The pony club would have due regard for the football club, said Mr Rogers. “We have yet to make a decision with the department as to how the land will be divided,” he said.

The hearing chairman Cr I. Calvert, said that the council would consider the two applications separately.

The assistant town planner, Mr B. R. Croad, told

the hearing that consent to a specififed departure was needed, provided it would not be contrary to the public interest. “Provided the council is satisfied that there is a public need for a pony club in the area, the proposal would not be contrary to the public interest,” he said.

If the club was to build a clubhouse, it should be constructed as a joint building with the Burnside Football Club.

A landscape architect, Mr Mr. M. Barthelmeh, proposed a plan.for the land, incorporating the football fields, clubrooms for both clubs, parking and the arena for the pony club.

The committee reserved decision.

The Burndale Football Club proposal to use the northern half (6.7 ha of the section with access from Sheffield Crescent.

It would build a car-park, establish four playing fields, construct clubrooms and landscape the area. A town planner for the applicant, Mr D. Collins, submitted that the application was not a specified departure under the proposed District Scheme, as the facilities would all be part of recreational uses for the Rural Zone.

The president of the club, Mr R. W. Coadwell, said that it would be prepared to negotiate with the pony club about an accessway. The football club could not accept ponies “galloping

across cur mown grounds.

The 40 objectors to the application again included the Juniper Place Residents’ Association, and other residents in Roydvale Ave. The Roydvale Pony Club also objected. The pony club’s objection was that it wanted the football club “td acknowledge our right of access to the land south of Sheffield Crescent,” said Mr Rogers.

Cr Calvert said that the pony, club’s proposed use of the north end for the parking of horse floats would, by the football club’s application, be intruded into by the playing fields. “We will have to accommodate the parking at the other end,” said Mr Rogers. The Juniper Place residents submitted that the proposal was not a conditonal use, as the admimistration of the land would be in the hands of the applicant. They were concerned about the noise which would come from the playing fields.

The clubrooms were a major point of the discussion. The proposed building,. for the use of the football club only, would not include a social area and alcohol would not be sold, said Mr Coadwell.

Mr Young submitted that the council should accept the building under the conditions that it not be let out for social functions apart from formal meetings and that no liquor licence be granted. The committee again reserved decision.