Critical time in Hills appeal

Press, 2 November 1984, Page 5

Critical time in Hills appeal

The next few days might be critical to the fate of the Mount Vernon Park proposal.

The chairman of the Port Hills Appeal Committee, Mr Graeme Robertson, said last evening that several decisions “critical” to the purchase of the Port Hills block would be made by company boards eaHy next week.

“We are hopeful that these will tie the whole thing up,” he said. By last evening about

$300,000 of the $380,000 needed had been raised, but there were still certain expenses to be paid from this.

“We are still substantially short of the target,” Mr Robertson said. The committee met last evening to make a recommendation on whether to go ahead with buying the Mount Vernon block. The recommendation was to have gone to the Christchurch Civic Trust Board for a final decision on Mon-

However, no recommendation was made. The appeal fund was “changing almost half-hourly” and the committee did not have enough information to make a decision one way or the other, said Mr Robertson. The decision to buy the 236-hectare block must be confirmed by Wednesday. If the block is bought it could be taken over on January 31 next year.

If the purchase did not go ahead substantial donations

could be refunded or possibly people would be offered the chance to contribute to a similar purchase, Mr Robertson said. “But I am not really thinking like that. We have done so well it would be crazy to think we wont’ get there.”

People wanting to contribute to the appeal could send donations to the Port Hills Appeal, P.O. Box 1927, Christchurch, or telephone 62-193 to make a pledge, Mr Robertson said.