Plan to close part of road recommended

Press, 1 November 1985, Page 5

Plan to close part of road recommended

The Christchurch City Council’s town-planning committee yesterday recommended the closing of part of Hazeldean Road to allow expansion of the PDL factory. However, before the recommendation goes to the council’s works and traffic committee, which must pass the resolution to stop the road, public opinion on the proposal will be sought. The proposal is to stop Hazeldean Road between Grove Road and Lincoln Road to enable PDL Industries to lease nearby land from the Railways Corporation and expand across the road. The company sought council approval for the

road closing earlier this year but councillors’ and residents’ reservations led to traffic studies in the area being called for. The studies were presented to the committee yesterday. They concluded that the proposed stopping of Hazeldean Road would not disadvantage traffic. Traffic would be redirected along roads more than capable of handling it. The studies showed that about 2300 vehicles a day travelled north-south on Grove Road, about 600 a day east-west on Hazeldean Road, and about 500 a day east-west on Harman Street. Redirected traffic would use Grove Road or Harman Street, both of which were capable of carrying increased traffic flows.

Because most of the heavy trucks in the area were associated with the factory, the stopping, with a new PDL entrance off Grove Road, would ease the presence of trucks in Harman Street, the studies said.

Cr Alistair James said Harman Street residents were anxious about the ability of their street to carry heavy trucks. Present parking satisfied demand, the studies said. Additional parking provided by the company would ease the loss of on-street parking when the road was closed. About 30 parks were involved. Road safety in the area, already good, would be improved by the road closing. The committee yesterday passed the recommendation for the road to be stopped, in spite of opposition from Cr Mollie Clark, who felt such action prejudged the comment being sought from residents. The committee also passed recommendations requiring the company to provide the extra 30 car spaces as well as parking required with any new development under the District Scheme, and requiring access to the PDL site by heavy trucks along Harman Street to be phased out as the redevelopment occurs. Cr Helen Garrett, the committee’s chairman, said the works and traffic committee could veto the proposal if it judged public comment to be against it. The proposal had been made some time ago and residents’ views sought once already. The council owed it to the company to get the proposal moving.