Office Rd parking upsets residents

Press, 18 December 1982, Page 13

Office Rd parking upsets residents

Illegal parking south of Merivale Mall is upsetting nearby residents. A vacant property in Office Road is being used as a park by mall tenants and their staff during the Christmas shopping rush. This contravenes the Christchurch City Council's District Scheme and a Planning Tribunal decision. The property is owned by G.U.S. Properties, and leased until the end of January to the Merivale Mall Merchants’ Association. Mr A. T. Wilkie, chairman of the Merivale Precinct Society said that part of a barrier which prevented parking on the lot had been

taken down to allow the parking. Mr Wilkie said there had been about 130 objectors to the G.U.S. attempt to use the property for parking, and their views and the Planning Tribunal decision were being “sort of trodden on by the big property owner.” The issue will be raised at Monday evening’s City Council meeting by Cr M. J. Glubb. a West Ward councillor. Mr T. J. McLaughlan. chairman of the Merchants’ Association, said that the property’ had been leased from G.U.S. for the sole use of tenants and staff. Regular car-parks were full every

day. which left no room for staff parking. Use of the Office Road property also eased congestion in Office Road and Aikmans Road. Planners take customer and staff parking needs into account when determining the number of spaces required by the District Scheme in commercial zones. A G.U.S. spokesman said that the property was leased to the mall association for its own purposes, and it was up to it how it used the property. Conditions of the lease were private. He would not say whether they included a stipulation that parking was not a permitted use.