Bexley zone wetlands

Press, 26 October 1984, Page 16

Bexley zone wetlands

Sir,—A petition signed by over 2000 people, predominantly from Bexley and Aranui, presented to the City Council on September 17, requested that about 15 per cent of the zone be retained as wetlands for wildlife and landscape purposes. However, the council’s decision on Monday was that stages II and 111 of the zone (containing most of the wetlands) will be retained for hard-fill. I had been promised by council committee clerks that no decision on the matters in the petition would be made until they had been discussedby the appropriate commit-

tee (Town Planning). This has not happened yet and several attempts to have the matter debated at other committees have been advised against by the staff. The power of the council’s staff to frustrate the wishes of the people by manipulating committee agendas, fobbing off speaking right requests, and pigeon-holing supportive letters has been disappointing. Our society will not let matters lie. — Yours, etc., BERNIE CALDER, for petition organisers Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society. October 16, 1984. [Mr J. H. Gray, General Manager and Town Clerk of Christchurch,

comments: “The petition was referred to the Parks and Recreation Committee,, which considered the matter best dealt with by the Town Planning Committee in conjunction with the current study on the Bexley employment zone. It will be before the latter committee on November 1. The recommendation of the Policy and Finance Committee adopted by the council on Monday last was not intended to pre-empt any decision on the petition. Indeed, the committee carefully recognised the concerns of the society and the fact that - only following the resolution of the matters raised by the petitioners could a scheme of subdivision be finalised.”]