Salvaged goods sale in industrial zone?

Press, 10 December 1983, Page 12

Salvaged goods sale in industrial zone?

A second-hand goods dealer in Fitzgerald Avenue wants to sell salvaged goods from an adjacent building near the Kilmore Street intersection. Traffic that would be generated near the already busy intersection, coupled with a lack of adequate public parking in the area, were arguments against the intermittent retail business in an industrial zone, a Christchurch City Council planning hearing was told. Mr B. E. Mather, who ran the Fendalton Fish Supply for 25 years, wants to hold the sales in a building formerly used for the manufacture of sun blinds. He needed a large storage area and a smaller retail space in which to sell goods salvaged by insurance companies after claims. The business, next to his Mr Pickwick’s Trading Post, would be run in conjunction with firms of loss adjusters and insurance assessors. Apart from the sale of products made on the premises, normal retailing is not usually allowed in industrial zones. Mr Mather said that he

had already sold $12,000 worth of ice-cream and $17,000 worth of yoghurt from the site. Neither sale had caused parking or traffic problems, he said. The business was described as a hybrid between a retail shop and a warehouse, said Mr Mather’s solicitor, Mr J. N. Burton. He said that the proposed use was unique, and not covered by the District Scheme. Because the business would be used only when damaged goods were available, it was difficult to find suitable premises in commercial zones. “Higher rentals in many of these zones would preclude the use of large retail premises on a spasmodic basis,” said Mr Burton. Some examples of salvaged goods in the past were seven tonnes of flavoured yoghurt, two tonnes of rice, 2000 water-damaged books, and 10,000 tins of mixed vegetables. Manufacturers and distributors of daamaged products had already been compensated for them by

insurance companies. Products that could still be sold and, in the case of foodstuffs, were still fit for human consumption, could be resold at bargain prices to the public. Insurance companies preferred those sales to the dumping or destroying of goods. Some goods were given to charitable institutions. A council planning report said that commercial zones had been “carefully calculated to provide for the city’s needs in a balanced way between the suburbs and the city centre.” That balance could be upset if retailing were permitted widely in industrial zones.

Sales of damaged goods would often be popular, and motorists attracted to the sales would require parking. The proposed site’s industrial zone contained other uses which generally did not meet the District Scheme’s car-parking standards, said a council traffic engineering report. The site was now covered by an expressway designation.

Whether that designation stood up to future hearings, the nearby intersection would remain busy. Traffic generated by the salvaged goods business during popular sales could exceed the vehicle counts at most petrol stations. That would have a significant effect on the safety and efficiency of the roads. The application was opposed by Woolworths (N.Z.), Ltd, and the Canterbury United Council.