Belfast Cemetery to reopen?

Press, 6 March 1984, Page 9

Belfast Cemetery to reopen?

The Belfast Cemetery might be reopened to reSlace - the nearly-full (aimairi Cemetery which will probably be restricted to reserved plots and single interments by mid-1985. The Belfast Cemetery was closed in the mid-1950s to burials except on special requests, and second interments, because of a roading requirement and a variablewater table.

That roading requirement has been lifted and the Waimairi District Council’s superintendent of reserves, Mr G. P. Nind, said that there was little evidence of water table fluctuations in the area. The water table level was lower than the required plot depth of 1.8 metres.

However, Mr Nind recommended tests in July to confirm the winter level. He recommended to a meeting last evening of the council’s works, reserves and traffic committee that the cemetery be reopened as a lawn cemetery by August. A three-man subcommittee was set up to investigate the idea. Mr Nind also recommended that discussions with other, metropolitan weal bodies should He held to find a site for a joint

cemetery. Between 1981 and 1983, 51J2 per cent of all first interments at the Waimairi Cemetery were from outside the district. Sheldon Park The committee approved a further recommendation from Mr Nind that an accessway be formed to ‘landlocked” Sheldon Park. The park contains the only public tennis courts and cricket wicket in Belfast and its access is across private property. Mr Nind estimated that $17,000 would be needed for the path. The finance and by-laws committee will discuss an allocation of funds. Heavy traffic Peer Street residents unhappy at heavy traffic using their street, are unlikely to get any respite. Last year 200 residents of the street, between Yaldhurst Road and Athol Terrace signed a petition expressing concern that it was not built for heavy traffic. A report from the council’s traffic engineer, Mr P. L. Atkinson, said that Peer Street was classified ..as a minor arterial road arid as such it could be expected to

carry high traffic volumes, including commercial vehicles. Mr Atkinson said that traffic on Peer Streeet had increased markedly in the last few years. Before 1979 it was a residential street carrying about 1000 vehicles a day, but it was now a busy arterial road carrying more than 8000 vehicles a

day. With the future development of commercial and industrial areas in the District the number of heavy vehicles using the street was expected to increase. There was no ready alternative route, Mr Atkinson said.

Peer Street is 10m wide with a provision in the District scheme for a width of 13m. The widening work does not have a high priority.

Cr J. de C. Hanafin said that the residents were concerned about articulated stock trucks using the street. He asked that the council’s staff continue to monitor the situation.

Another petition was received from 32 Sawyers Arms Road residents about damage caused by heavy trucks using that road. The petitioners said that because of the road’s uneven surface trucks caused severe vibra-

tions, resulting in cracks in the foundations of houses, damage to fences, and the tilting of pictures on walls. The district engineer, Mr A. J. W. Lamb, said that the portion of the road referred to was one where sewer pipes had been installed after the road’s construction.

Some levelling work would be done to help the problem he said. The matter was held over until the council’s estimates meeting.

Spencer Park Trail bikes and beach buggies are causing problems on the beach and walking tracks near Spencer Park.

Beach buggies were not only a danger to other visitors, but they were damaging fragile vegetation in the dune area, said the park’s manager, Mr A. A. Adcock. Written warnings had been given to offenders but some had taped or reversed their registration plates to avoid identification.

One ranger had been threatened by offenders in February. Vehicles being driven at speed through the flagged are! on the beach had also caused problems for the

surf club. Mr Adcock said that there was no way to restrict the vehicles.

He said that in spite of these problems, Spencer Park was having a good year. Increased patronage, had boosted income for the year to February 24 to $169,720, compared with $151,487 last year and $120,017 in 1982. The spa pool had also been popular, raising $3426 compared with $2200 in 1983. Peace gathering After long discussion the committee declined an application from the Citizens for the Demilitarisation of Harewood to hold a peace gathering at Burnside Park on Sunday. The gathering was to have been part of “a national week-end of action to draw attention to the militarisation of Harewood Airport” and was to have featured a mock nuclear explosion, the group said. The committee declined the application as councillors feared that such a gathering and an “explosion” would be a nuisance to nearby residents. Cr B. R. Shackel and Cr H. M. Tait were also concerned that little wai known about the group. P